'Knowledge is power': 5 things we learned about Chicago Bears OC Declan Doyle after his Thursday introduction

The Chicago Bears made an offseason coaching splash when they hired Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle as the team's offensive coordinator.  

It was a job the Bears also reportedly interviewed former Stanford head coach and Denver personnel consultant David Shaw, Titans quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree and Cardinals quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork for.

Doyle won out. But, who exactly is Ben Johnson's offensive coordinator? He met with the media for the first time on Thursday.

"Being here is a little bit surreal," Doyle said. "Knowledge is power."

Here are five things we learned about the Bears' 28-year-old Declan Doyle after he was introduced as the team's offensive coordinator.

How did Doyle find his way to the NFL?

Doyle knows what it's like to build a resume.

From 2016 to 2018, Doyle was a student assistant at the University of Iowa. He followed in the footsteps of his dad, Chris Doyle, who was the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa from 1999 until 2020.

To get a sense of the NFL level, Doyle needed to see the NFL level. Doyle then found his connection.

Doyle reached out to then-New Orleans Saints assistant offensive line coach Brendan Nugent, who was an Iowa graduate. 

"I asked him if I could visit OTAs," Doyle said.

Doyle paid his own way to New Orleans but got plenty of return on his investment. He visited the Saints and got to sit in on a Saints tight ends meeting. The Saints tight ends coach at the time was current Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. 

It also introduced Doyle to three of his biggest influences: Sean Payton, Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi. Those three shaped his coaching style.

Working for Payton in New Orleans first, and then Denver later, was a boon for Doyle. Payton hired Doyle as the Broncos' tight ends coach, the same position meeting that Doyle sat in on in New Orleans nearly a decade ago.

"Twice he’s pulled me from relative anonymity," Doyle said. "I’ve learned so much from Sean."

What will Doyle's responsibilities be with the Bears?

Johnson was clear from Day 1 with the Bears: he would call the plays on offense.

However, he wouldn't have the same responsibilities that he had in Detroit. Johnson will have them all on his plate.

That's where Doyle comes in.

"The offensive coordinator position is going to have to be somebody that not only I trust, but will be extremely detail oriented, organized and structured to set the table," Johnson said on Jan. 22 during his introduction.

Doyle said a great way to describe his job as the Bears' offensive coordinator is the person who's tasked with being able "to orchestrate and set the table" for Johnson as a play caller.

"My job is really going to be to organize and detail," Johnson said. "I have to do the work that he’s not going to have time to be able to do."

Doyle said he has to be on the same page as Johnson every week. He needs to have a high level of communication with Johnson so can directly message to the players what the offensive goals are each week.

Doyle said his job, as with any coaching job, is to be a teacher. It'll be his job to teach the offensive progressions each week.

"We have to make sure the players can understand the toolbox," Doyle said. 

How does Doyle fit into Caleb Williams' development?

One of the top priorities for the Bears' coaching hires was to find coaches and personalities that would surround second-year quarterback Caleb Williams with what he needs to grow into a star quarterback.

Doyle will be a part of how Williams understands the offense. He'll also be a part of how Williams develops as an offensive player. Doyle knows this, as he was a part of a staff that developed Bo Nix into a rookie quarterback who took the Denver Broncos to the playoffs.

Right away, Williams' ability to create plays stood out to Doyle. 

"His ability to create is a special thing," Doyle said. "That’s something I got to see with Bo last year in Denver."

Doyle said the first step to making the offense click is mastering the language. That's also step one with Williams.

It worked for Doyle and Denver with Nix; it's his job to help make that happen in Chicago with Williams.

"That’s what we tried to do with Bo and that’s what we’re going to do here," Doyle said.

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 28: Denver Broncos Tight Ends Coach Declan Doyle looks on during the NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Alli

He's impressed with his intelligence

Doyle has impressed Sean Payton, and that's helped launch his NFL career. 

Payton isn't the only one that's taken note of how Doyle has risen in his young NFL career. It caught the eye of new Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from across the aisle when Allen was the Saints' defensive coordinator.

Immediately, Allen said, Doyle's intelligence stands out from the moment you meet him.

"You sense a highly, highly intelligent person," Allen said. "He understands the game from a multitude of different perspectives."

This was the moment Doyle was preparing for

Doyle never thought about a professional playing career. That was never in his cards and he knew it.

"It’s this or nothing," Doyle said of his coaching career. "I don’t have a plan B."

Once he made it to the NFL, Doyle set his sights on where he wanted to go next. 

He went from offensive assistant to tight ends coach in Denver. Earning that opportunity to be a position coach moved him up the ladder.

But, earning a shot at being an NFL offensive coordinator was the goal. 

"I was trying to be the best tight ends coach I could be in Denver," Doyle said. "I’ve been preparing for this job for the past 10 years."

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