LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Following practices at the Chicago Bears training complex, the quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends gather in a designated meeting space.
Standing before them is a 29-year-old, equipped with a remote, prepared to dissect film and analyze the day’s performance on the field. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle presides over this meeting of skill position players after overseeing group pass installations, screen plays, and specialized formations. His objective, one that players and colleagues acknowledge he achieves admirably, is to emulate the communication style of head coach Ben Johnson.
Consequently, nobody questions Doyle’s fervor and meticulous nature as he consistently reiterates the concept of making similar actions appear distinct and distinct actions appear similar. Doyle consistently emphasizes to the quarterbacks the necessity of synchronizing their visual focus with their footwork; he reminds the receivers of the crucial aspect of maintaining accurate route depths. They examine executing a “runner’s ball” on crossing routes, ensuring that receivers can secure the catch in motion, preserving the opportunity for additional yardage after the catch. They determine how utilizing 12 personnel, which involves employing two tight-end sets, can aid in deciphering defensive strategies, thereby enhancing the clarity of the quarterback’s decision-making process.
The solutions to the challenges, according to the Bears’ players, reside within their coaching staff. They believe that with adequate preparation, they can successfully navigate the trials of each game.
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“Above all, what this coaching group desires is assurance that we are absorbing all the information presented, that our attention is directed correctly, that we are executing within the play’s designed rhythm, and that we are avoiding unnecessary improvisation,” Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent expressed to Yahoo Sports. “The compensation for these coaches is substantial for justifiable reasons. Namely, if we adhere to their guidance, more often than not, our teammates will find themselves open, leading to successful outcomes.”
On game day, Johnson embodies this principle as the team’s play-caller and head coach. However, throughout the week, instructions frequently reach the offensive unit through Doyle. “Declan usually takes the responsibility of verifying that everyone comprehends that information,” Bagent notes.
The preliminary outcomes from this collaborative effort are promising.
Through the initial four games, the Bears’ average of 25.3 points and 328 yards per game ranked 11th and 17th respectively as they approached Week 6, marking an advancement from their 28th position in scoring (18.2 points) and their last-place ranking in total offense (283.5 yards) from the previous year. Quarterback Caleb Williams has shown progress, elevating his passer rating from 24th to 18th in the league; additionally, his passing touchdown rate per game has improved from 21st (1.18) to fourth (2.25).
Having secured two consecutive victories and emerging from a bye week, Bears supporters are expressing cautious optimism that their offensive unit is beginning to synchronize effectively. The upcoming Monday night game presents another opportunity to validate this progress and influence the narrative of the 2024 NFL Draft: The Bears are scheduled to compete against the Washington Commanders, whose second overall draft pick, Jayden Daniels, garnered Offensive Rookie of the Year accolades while the Bears encountered difficulties with Williams following his selection as the first overall pick.
The initiative to revitalize Williams’ performance commences with Johnson, a highly regarded contender in the 2025 coaching cycle and a central figure in the Bears’ transformation endeavors. Nonetheless, both coaches and players commend Doyle for building upon the foundation established by Johnson.
Instantly, whether you’re a player or a coach, you think, ‘This individual is knowledgeable.’
While the established structure is not inherently unique, Johnson’s choice to entrust Doyle—and to recruit him at the age of 28—is considered notable. According to league data dating back to 2000, only two offensive coordinators in recent times have attained their positions at a younger age than Doyle: Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.
Both Shanahan and McVay were promoted from within the organization, with Shanahan having previously collaborated with the coach under whom he was promoted. Doyle, however, had no prior professional association with either the Bears or Johnson before assuming his role.
Yet, coaches with experience working alongside both Johnson and Doyle comprehended the decision. Lions offensive coordinator John Morton even remarked to Johnson during his search: “Ben, listen: He embodies the qualities of another Ben Johnson.”
“I perceive that as a favorable circumstance,” Johnson responded with a chuckle, as he recounted the incident to reporters during the NFL scouting combine. “I am depending on that to be a positive development. I believe that he and I are exceptionally well-suited. His thought processes align closely with mine.”
Doyle, whom Sean Payton enlisted in both New Orleans and Denver, radiates competence rather than youthful exuberance as the Bears advocate for transparent communication and multifaceted schemes. Should they achieve and sustain success, it would not be surprising if teams in search of a play-caller, and ultimately a head coach, were to explore the potential of the next Ben Johnson.
“Immediately, whether you’re a player or a coach, your impression is, ‘This person possesses substantial knowledge,’” Payton conveyed to Yahoo Sports. “I was contemplating, ‘I want to allocate a hundred thousand towards Declan’s future prospects.’ If he were to permit me to invest at a specific juncture, I would readily commit to that.”
As Doyle progresses at a young age, associates jokingly say: ‘Can I see your birth certificate?’
Each morning, as Bears coaches and players arrive at Halas Hall, it is not uncommon for them to pass a runner engaged in his daily circuit.
At times, he is immersed in music or an audiobook through bone-conduction Aftershokz headphones. On other occasions, he is mentally rehearsing his game plan for the day. Regardless, his hearing remains unimpeded when tight ends coach Jim Dray passes by and emits what Dray perceives as an almost daily honk.
No one is astounded by Doyle’s early arrival — reaching the Bears facility before their arrival in the mornings, and ascending to a coordinator position at a young age.
A decade of experience at the collegiate and NFL levels accounts for a portion, but not all, of Doyle’s background.
Doyle’s formal entry into the coaching realm commenced when he was 20, securing a position as an offensive student assistant for the University of Iowa staff, where he would remain for three seasons. However, Declan’s father, Chris Doyle, recalls Declan frequenting the graduate assistant “pit” over a decade prior. Young Declan was not merely wandering through his father’s weight room.
“They would present him with cards displaying X’s and O’s, and he would proceed to draw the plays,” Chris Doyle recounted to Yahoo Sports. (Chris and Iowa reached a separation agreement in 2020 following allegations of player mistreatment.) “He would be seated at the kitchen table, drawing plays [from a young age] – 5, 6, 7. And he possessed football helmets, which he would arrange in a formation of 11 versus 11.
“He would assemble the defense and execute both pass and run plays, subsequently archiving them in a folder.
“I believe he possessed a genuine calling from an early age.”
By 2019, at 23 years old, Doyle was integrated within Payton, Drew Brees, and the Saints staff, functioning as an offensive assistant with a primary emphasis on the tight end unit, under the supervision of position coach Dan Campbell. Players encountering difficulties with their professional adaptation did not intimidate Doyle. Facilitating the transition of former Penn State receiver Juwan Johnson into an NFL tight end? Johnson credits Doyle with imparting not only technical proficiency but also the essential mindset required to excel in blocking and maintain a position on the field. Cultivating Adam Trautman, who had transitioned to tight end in college and was now grappling with the conceptual leap from FCS-level competition to the NFL?
“Everything he conveyed to me materialized,” Trautman communicated to Yahoo Sports. “The defensive strategies unfolded precisely as he had taught me. Consequently, I thought, ‘I can place my trust in this individual.’”
Chris Doyle observed his son’s enthusiasm for nurturing players “who had not been handed opportunities.”
Coupled with an unwavering commitment to schematic excellence, which propelled Doyle to spend summers immersed in the study of various subjects, ranging from third-down packages to the 49ers’ run game and the Dolphins’ pre-snap maneuvers, Doyle felt adequately prepared to interview with the Detroit Lions in 2022 when then-coordinator Ben Johnson was seeking a tight ends coach.
Doyle was cognizant that: “He is not inclined to hire a 25-year-old who is not thoroughly proficient in every facet.” While Johnson ultimately appointed Tanner Engstrand, now the Jets’ offensive coordinator and 14 years Doyle’s senior, to the position, Doyle left a sufficiently positive impression on Johnson to secure a coffee meeting at the scouting combine that year.
Following this meeting, periodic communication ensued over the subsequent three years, as Doyle eagerly sought to deepen his comprehension of concepts he observed in Lions game film, meticulously documenting his philosophies on third-down situations, red-zone strategy, instructional methods, and more in a Microsoft Visio file.
After serving two years as the Broncos tight ends coach, Johnson contacted Doyle with heightened formal interest. Payton expressed surprise at the rapidity with which the coordinator position was offered to a coach who, he jokingly suggested, might not yet require shaving. However, during Doyle’s instruction of concepts or analysis of game plans, his age was not a focal point. The Broncos, mirroring Bagent’s current observation of the Bears, would occasionally overlook how youthful their coach was, despite his possessing significantly more experience than the majority of his peers.
“When I became aware of his age, I was taken aback,” Trautman admitted. “I felt compelled to request his birth certificate, questioning the authenticity of the information. It was truly astonishing.”
Bagent’s assessment of the discrepancy between Doyle’s experience and age?
“Declan has likely been fulfilling the role of a position coach since the age of 15.”
Bears’ vision for Caleb Williams contrasts with the Jayden Daniels strategy
Upon the Bears’ decision to restructure their coaching staff midway through Williams’ rookie season, the primary objective of the incoming hires was unequivocally apparent.
Maximizing the extraordinary potential of Williams is of paramount importance. The strength of Williams’ arm and his propensity for improvisational and unconventional plays are undisputed. However, the Bears recognized the need for enhanced consistency and efficiency from their quarterback. Their aim was to reduce the frequency of sacks, as Williams had absorbed a league-high of 68 sacks, resulting in a loss of 466 yards during his rookie year. Furthermore, they recognized the necessity of providing enhanced support.
Doyle draws upon the exemplary veteran performance he observed from Brees in New Orleans, as well as his firsthand observation of the development of 2024 rookie Bo Nix, who was selected 11 slots after Williams. However, neither of these examples precisely aligns with the vision they seek to cultivate for Williams.
“Our vision is centered on achieving the full extent of his potential,” Doyle articulated to Yahoo Sports during a May interview. “That is the objective we are pursuing.”
“Emulate me, be present with us,” veteran quarterback Case Keenum advises, reminding Williams that even quarterbacks with Williams’ exceptional arm talent, capable of executing any play, will not succeed on every attempt and must therefore appreciate the power of efficiency.
“The individuals possessing such extraordinary talent… their greatest asset can occasionally manifest as a weakness, given their capability to execute any play in the playbook. However, there are instances where resorting to such extraordinary measures is unnecessary,” Keenum conveyed to Yahoo Sports. “Let us capitalize on the opportunities presented by the defense and progress down the field.”
The Bears are nurturing Williams with a focus on what the coaching staff perceives as the most effective methods to challenge opposing defenses, rather than merely dwelling within Williams’ established comfort zone. Williams’ limited experience under center during the previous year has not deterred Johnson and his staff from encouraging their quarterback to embrace formations they believe are most detrimental to defenses. While Williams averaged 5.8 plays per game under center last year, he is currently averaging 11.3 this year, according to TruMedia data comparing production from under center versus shotgun formations.
Furthermore, the Bears have significantly increased their utilization of 12 personnel this year as a means of altering formations without substituting players. Chicago’s 31.2% usage of pass plays in 12 personnel ranks as the fifth-highest in the league as they approach Week 6, according to Next Gen Stats. Williams’ success with this concept is evident: he has completed 24 of 39 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns, tying for the league lead. His 116.0 passer rating while in 12 personnel ranks ninth among qualified quarterbacks.
The ultimate objective is to exploit defensive tendencies to the advantage of the Bears’ offense and to establish their own tendencies for the purpose of subsequently disrupting them.
Consider the Bears’ 65-yard flea-flicker touchdown to rookie receiver Luther Burden III with 4:21 remaining against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.
“We might present a particular play, perhaps even twice, and then, unexpectedly, revert to the same setup, presenting a similar-looking play, only to execute a flea-flicker deep pass,” Bagent elucidated. “I am confident that, from the defense’s perspective, it resembled every previous instance of our duo run play.”
The Bears will hope that the Commanders encounter difficulties on Monday in discerning when the Bears are devising identical plays to appear distinct and when they are executing disparate plays that appear similar.
They are already aware that their strategy for developing a 2024 first-round quarterback has diverged from that of the Commanders.
Washington enlisted former head coach and long-standing play-caller Kliff Kingsbury to integrate Daniels last season with a playbook that not only underscored his dual-threat capabilities but also specifically highlighted the concepts in which he had demonstrated the greatest success in college. Stability and familiarity propelled a remarkable turnaround and a berth in the NFC championship game but it is not the singular path to success.
Following Williams’ navigation of three offensive coordinators during a dysfunctional rookie season, the Bears aspire for Johnson and his staff to establish the continuity that was sorely lacking in 2024. It is in this endeavor that Doyle plays a crucial role, ensuring that offensive messaging is detailed and consistent, even when Johnson is not directly delivering it. Johnson expects both his players and his coaching staff to maintain elevated standards; they are certain to hear from him when those standards are not met.
Former colleagues, including Payton, Campbell, Morton, and Trautman, anticipate that Doyle will not only meet that standard but also contribute to elevating it for the Bears. Johnson and Doyle will leverage their backgrounds as tight end coaches to strategize how to integrate the run and pass effectively while maximizing blocking proficiency. Their aim is to continue pairing unconventional thinking with meticulous attention to detail, operating under the premise that, if Williams possesses a precise understanding of what is expected of him, he will also recognize when he is permitted to deviate from those expectations.
This approach mirrors the common hiring practice, albeit not a strict rule, that Johnson deviated from in hiring Doyle. His offensive coordinator lacks the two most common attributes that first-year head coaches tend to seek in the position: prior collaborative work and experience often as extensive as the head coach level, as Johnson secured in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Doyle is not requesting anyone to presume that Johnson’s bet will prove successful. However, he is enthusiastic about demonstrating that success — on the practice field, in front of skill players with the clicker, and in the win column.
In the meantime, he intends to maintain his early arrivals.
“I believe I would prefer to be evaluated based on the work I accomplish, rather than any other factor,” Doyle affirmed. “And we are dedicated to that endeavor on a daily basis.”
