Lamar Jackson has made a career out of escaping pressure, except for this time; the pressure may be coming from inside his own offense. The Baltimore Ravens‘ quarterback is stepping into a new offensive system, and behind the scenes, it has been a relentless few months for the star quarterback and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
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“You have meetings that take place post-practice. Following all those meetings him and I sit down one-on-one and we go to my office, and it takes as long as it takes,” Doyle in a press conference, as per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley’s X video post. “And I kind of explain that to him, like ‘I don’t want to always hold you hostage, but at the same point in time, like I need to know what you’re feeling.'”
The Ravens’ offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, has made Jackson’s feedback a central part of that process, revealing how the two continue to analyze the offense together after practice. The conversations are designed to identify what Jackson likes, what he wants repeated, and where he still has doubts before the game plan moves forward.
“We kind of go through each call, what things he might need more reps of, what things that he’s looking at. He’s like, I don’t really feel good about this quite yet. I need another shot of this or plays that he’s like, I love this. Like, we need to get to this early. And so, trying to make sure that line of communication stays and make sure that his opinion is valued.”
Doyle further explained that the meetings involve reviewing individual calls and learning which concepts need additional repetition. The quarterback can identify plays he is not comfortable with or point toward concepts he wants the offense to emphasize early, giving Doyle direct insight into the QB’s perspective.
Doyle is entering his first season as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator after serving as the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2025. His coaching career also includes four seasons with the Saints and two with the Broncos. The Ravens moved on from Todd Monken, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Last season was particularly tough for Monken and Jackson, which eventually played a part in the Ravens falling to 8-9.
According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Jeremy Fowley, the duo’s relationship broke down in 2025. They reported “internal bickering” between the two, and a difference in the players to target and the balance between the run game and the passing attack.
“I didn’t coach Lamar well enough,” Monken said on the Ryan Ripken Show. “I didn’t have as good of a relationship as I could have. I didn’t do the things we needed to do this year to win enough games to give ourselves a chance. I believe that”
Doyle is the fourth offensive coordinator Jackson will be playing under since he became a full-time starter. However, even as a year-8 player, Jackson is learning things from scratch.
“I’m being challenged right now,” Jackson said via The Baltimore Banner. “It’s a new system [with] a lot of terminology within this system. Nothing really transitioned over from the last system.”
Jackson has operated heavily from a shotgun or a pistol. Doyle is expanding his under-center responsibilities, something that changes his footwork, timing, and how plays develop.
The two-time All-Pro NFL MVP has already shown that his dual-threat ability can transform an offense, and the new coordinator is determined to build the attack around what Jackson sees and feels on the field. There are positives to hope for this new duo; the last two times Baltimore changed its offensive coordinator, Lamar Jackson went on to win the NFL MVP title.
However, it is time that the QB is given all the avenues to reach his true ceiling: win the Super Bowl.
With Baltimore preparing for its season opener against Indianapolis, that communication will now move from the meeting room to the field. If Doyle can translate Jackson’s feedback into an offense that is consistent, the Ravens could find out if their new partnership can unlock another elite season from their franchise QB.