Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle arrived Wednesday ready to revolutionize the offense around Lamar Jackson, except there’s one problem: he might not see Jackson until May at the earliest. The Ravens’ offseason program begins April 6, with on-field workouts starting in May. But Jackson has a pattern of skipping voluntary work. He didn’t attend eight of the nine on-field practices last spring. Doyle hasn’t called plays before he held that title with the Chicago Bears last season, but Ben Johnson made the actual decisions so building chemistry with a quarterback who’s famously selective about offseason participation could be complicated. Still, Doyle is projecting optimism about the relationship and Jackson’s willingness to improve.
When asked about his expectations for player attendance, Doyle walked the line between respecting the voluntary nature of offseason work and suggesting championship standards require commitment. “We would expect them to be here and certainly it is voluntary,” Doyle said. “But also, if you want to say that you’re going to win a championship, you want to say that you have championship standards and those are your goals and your expectations, certainly that’s going to take work. That’s going to take collaboration.” He’s essentially saying: voluntary is voluntary, but championship teams don’t skip offseason work. The message is diplomatic but direct.
The real wildcard is whether Jackson even attends this spring depends on contract negotiations.
The Ravens’ biggest offseason priority is reducing Jackson’s $74.5 million salary cap hit second-highest in the NFL. Owner Steve Bisciotti said Baltimore wants a new deal finalized by mid-March when free agency begins. If the Ravens can get Jackson re-signed before then, that removes one potential excuse for his absence. If negotiations drag on, that could affect his spring availability.
Despite not having called plays before, Doyle sounds genuinely impressed with Jackson’s willingness to learn.
They’ve spoken multiple times, including an hour-long Zoom call during Doyle’s interview process, plus additional visits and text exchanges since then. “He’s a guy with a growth mindset that he’s played at a really high level and still wants to continue to work and feels like he can get better,” Doyle said. “And so me and the rest of the staff are really excited to chase that with him.” That’s not canned coordinator speak. That’s genuine belief in Jackson’s hunger to evolve.
What Doyle sees in Jackson’s game is a “higher ceiling” waiting to be unlocked
He’s identified specific improvement areas: Jackson’s consistency on initial play calls before going off-script. “That first play can be more consistent at times with his eyes, with his footwork within the system,” Doyle explained. Jackson is already historically elite tied for best career passer rating (102.2) and the most rushing yards by a quarterback (6,522) but Doyle believes there’s another level available by maximizing early reads and footwork.
Doyle’s experience with Caleb Williams in Chicago informs his approach to Jackson’s improvisation.
“The quarterback is the eraser of game planning errors or mistakes,” Doyle said. “If there’s something where we expected a certain coverage and we didn’t get it, at times the quarterback’s got to put the cape on and go be Superman.” He’s not trying to eliminate Jackson’s ability to escape the structure. He’s trying to improve the structure itself so Jackson doesn’t need to improvise as frequently.
The dynamic is interesting because Doyle needs Jackson’s buy-in to succeed, and Jackson’s historical pattern suggests that buy-in doesn’t always translate to spring attendance. Championship standards require collaboration, but championship quarterbacks sometimes set their own standards. Jackson is 29, already a future Hall of Famer, and knows his value. Doyle can project excitement about building together, but the actual construction project might not start until May.
For a brand-new offensive coordinator without play-calling experience, that’s a real constraint.
