What will Declan Doyle look like in his first year calling plays? That’s a question on the minds of countless Baltimore Ravens fans.
2026 will be Doyle’s second year as an offensive coordinator, but his first as the lead play-caller—he took the backseat to Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears in 2025. So while a ton of warranted excitement is building around Doyle, we really don’t know what it’ll look like.
And apart from what it’ll look like, it’s fair to ask whether the Ravens offense will have the success we know they’re capable of in the season opener.
Their Week 1 test against the Indianapolis Colts will present a tough challenge for Doyle. He squares off against 60-year-old defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
It’s the new kid on the block versus the seasoned veteran.
Declan Doyle will face an immediate test in his Baltimore Ravens debut
Lou Anarumo is a very familiar name for the Ravens. He was the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator from 2020 to 2024, and to put it lightly, the offense usually had a field day against him. Knowing his guys can take control of a game against Anarumo should have Declan Doyle sleeping a little easier.
Still, it’s his debut. Doyle has a lot to prove, especially given he’s never been trusted with these duties before. The offense also sputtered throughout training camp, so they'll need to find a rhythm soon.
And it’s very possible that Anarumo’s experience could give him the edge in the chess match against Doyle.
To his credit, Anarumo was never given too much talent in his time the Bengals—they’re currently investing about 30% of their cap space in three offensive superhumans: Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. Guys like Trey Hendrickson, Jessie Bates, and D.J. Reader were fantastic, but the depth was always lacking.
In Indianapolis, though, Anarumo has some talented pieces at his disposal, most notably in the secondary in Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Cam Bynum. Those guys could feast on Baltimore’s new-look passing offense.
Still, even with that talent and Anarumo’s wealth of NFL experience, head coach Jesse Minter has plenty of belief in Doyle.
“Lou Anarumo does a great job, and he’s got tons of experience,” Minter said. “I got full faith and confidence in [Doyle] and how he’s gonna run the offense…This is a deal where you hire people to do a great job, and you spend a ton of time together to make sure you see things the same, and you’re in the same vision. And again, full confidence in Dec to go let it rip on Sunday.”
Thankfully, Doyle has Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers taking charge under his guidance. The results should come no matter what. It’ll just be a matter of outsmarting the opposition.
It may be tough to outsmart the opponent when he has 30 years on you, but despite Doyle's youth, he has been called wise beyond his years. Hopefully that shows up in his play-calling in Week 1.
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