Pundit Says We Could See 'One of Most Explosive Versions of Lamar Jackson' in Declan Doyle's Offense
Lamar Jackson said on Wednesday that he’s in a “great place" with new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle's system and is "absolutely" ready for the start of the regular season.
With Jackson dialed in and fully healthy after an injury-hampered 2025 season, pundits are predicting a huge bounce-back for the two-time MVP.
"I'm really excited for what Lamar Jackson could be this year," NFL Network’s Trevor Sikkema said on “NFL Report.” "To me, we could see not only the regular version of Lamar Jackson, which is pretty dang spectacular, but we could see maybe one of the most explosive versions of Lamar Jackson in this Declan Doyle offense."
While Jackson will be operating in a new scheme, there are aspects of it that are familiar, which is one reason Sikkema is high on Jackson this season.
"One of the things that I like the most about Declan Doyle coming over [from the Chicago Bears] is that when you look at the Ravens the last three years … they were progressively running more outside zone concepts. That's where Declan Doyle comes into play here," Sikkema said. "The Bears ran the third-most rushing concepts in outside zone last year. So the familiarity in the run game I think is huge for the confidence of Lamar Jackson, for the confidence of this overall offense, and just to make sure they can really hit the ground running from the beginning of the season."
"Good Morning Football's" Manti Te'o also expects to see the best version of Jackson in Doyle's offense.
"Declan Doyle came from two of the most prominent coaching trees on the offensive side of the football: Sean Payton and Ben Johnson," Te'o said. "When I'm thinking about who is set up the best for a bounce-back year, it's Lamar Jackson, not only because of his abilities, but because of the guys around him and the person who's going to be calling the plays in his helmet."
Ravens Fall Out of Top 10 in ESPN's Watchability Rankings
ESPN’s Ben Solak also believes the ceiling is high for the Jackson-Doyle combination, but he's taking more of a wait-and-see approach.
It's part of the reason why he put the Ravens at No. 11 in his watchability rankings for all 32 teams.
"Lamar Jackson – a two-time MVP and still the league's preeminent dual-threat quarterback – has never had an offensive coordinator like Declan Doyle in his NFL career," Solak wrote. "Neither Greg Roman nor Todd Monken did a bad job with Jackson, but both ran dry on ideas for modern passing attacks. Doyle, a Sean Payton disciple with a year under Ben Johnson, seems primed to push the envelope. I'm a little dubious of the Ravens' pass catchers after Zay Flowers, and I'd like to see Jackson move around fully healthy after last season's decline in rushing effectiveness.
"I'd also like to see the Ravens choke away fewer games under [new Head Coach Jesse] Minter, as John Harbaugh's Ravens built a bad habit of surrendering fourth-quarter leads in agonizing fashion. Over the past five seasons, the Ravens have lost eight games in which they had a win probability of at least 90% at some point; the next-closest team has six. Late-game collapses can be watchable when they're not so tiresome, and the Ravens crossed that line a while ago."
In determining his rankings, Solak judged teams by big plays, competitive games, star players, and whether they have a particularly bad offense and/or defense.
Given that criteria, it's certainly debatable whether there are 10 teams more watchable than the Ravens, who were No. 2 in Solak's rankings at this time last year.
Jackson is always must-see TV, as is ageless running back Derrick Henry. Rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane has generated a lot of buzz this summer with his acrobatic catches and charisma, while Minter's defense, which includes All-Pros such as safety Kyle Hamilton and outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, has the potential to be special.
The Bears were No. 1 this year, with the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, and New England Patriots rounding out the top five.
Mike Macdonald Pays Tribute to O.J. Brigance on 'Hard Knocks'
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald shared a heartfelt tribute to close friend and mentor O.J. Brigance with his team following Brigance's passing last week after heroically battling ALS for 19 years.
The emotional moment was captured on a recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks."
"He's what a man is to me. Just a strong guy," Macdonald said. "Like, his faith; his family; for him to show up with the attitude that he used to have."
Macdonald had developed a close relationship with Brigance, a former Ravens linebacker who became the organization's Senior Advisor to Player Engagement after his playing career ended, during his first stint with the Ravens as a coaching intern and defensive assistant from 2014-20.
"When things weren't going right, you'd always go find O.J., and he was always like a comfort," Macdonald said. "It was always just like, 'Dude, it's going to be all right.'
Macdonald said Brigance regularly kept in touch after he left for the Seahawks job following two seasons as Baltimore's defensive coordinator.
"Every gameday morning he'd send me a thought, just a prayer for us and our team," Macdonald said. "Guys, he was rooting for you guys all last year. He never even met you. How cool is that?"
