REPORT: NFL Teams INTERESTED In Declan Doyle & Other Chicago Bears Assistant Coaches

REPORT: NFL Teams INTERESTED In Declan Doyle & Other Chicago Bears Assistant Coaches

[Music] Could some Bears assistant coaches garner some interest in this coaching carousel coming up this off season? We’re going to talk about it here on Chicago Bears Now. My name is Harrison Graham. Tom Pelisero releases an annual young coaching candidates to know article. He highlights 20 to 25 coaches this year 24. And to qualify, it’s guys who are 45 and younger and have never been a head coach. Uh, three Bears, actually four, typo on my poor part, four Bears assistant coaches were mentioned. One was highlighted, who we’ll get to in a second. And just last off season, three of these guys were hired that fit the criteria, including Ben Johnson, who I believe was 38 years old when the Bears hired him. Liam Cohen, uh, under 45 as well for the Jags, as was Kell Moore with the New Orleans Saints. And as Tom Pelisero points out, this has been a growing trend. Here’s what Tom Pelisero had to say via NFL.com. He said, “Several established college coaches could become involved in the search process, and nobody should be shocked if the names Bill Bich and John Gruden come up at some point, but many NFL owners are still inclined to search for the next Shawn McVey, the rising young coach who could solidify the pivotal franchise role for a decade or more. In the eight cycles since the Rams hired McVey in 2017, more than half of all head coaching hires leaguewide have come from the same demographic. Under 45 years old with no previous NFL head coaching experience. Well, Tom Pelisero highlighted 24 coaches to keep a close eye on. And then he had some honorable mentions. Declan Doyle was one of the 24. 29-year-old Declan Doyle, who you know, we were kind of surprised when Ben Johnson hired him as his non-play calling OC. Here’s what Pelisero had to say about Declan. He said, “One of the youngest coordinators in modern NFL history, Doyle spent three years as a student assistant at Iowa before then Saints coach Shawn Payeyton hired him as an offensive assistant in 2019. When Payton ended a one-year retirement to take the Broncos head coaching job, he hired Doyle as tight ends coach in Denver, where Doyle spent two seasons before Ben Johnson handpicked him to serve as OC. With the Bears off to a fast start and quarterback Caleb Williams playing better, Doyle’s pedigree could uh compel some teams to at least want to pick his brain in January. I think that last part’s important. Pick his brain. I could see Declan Doyle getting a head coaching interview or two this cycle. I think actually getting a head coaching job this cycle where he’ll turn 30 next year. That is probably a stretch. I mean, 29 turning 30, that would be really, really young to become a head coach. But this is the reality. When you’re a talented team and a talented coaching staff and you’re winning, teams are going to be interested in your coaches. And the Bears, who never have a good offense, have a very good offense. And Declan Doyle’s the offensive coordinator, even though he doesn’t call plays. Uh the Bears are eighth in scoring, fourth in total yards, 13th in passing yards, uh second in rushing yards, uh six uh total turnovers, which is tied for second in the NFL. This offense leads the NFL in explosive plays with 82 uh as well. When you listen to Declan Doyle talk about, you know, everything they’ve thrown at Caleb Williams and why they approach things this way. He was a part of that Denver staff uh where they did uh wonders for Bo Nicks as a rookie. He’s worked under Shawn Peyton, a guy who’s done it for a long time. He’s now worked under Ben Johnson. Like in a short amount of time, this guy has been around some really, really smart coaches. So yeah, I think he’s a name that people are going to look into very, very quickly. Now, you could debate where does Declan Doyle fit in the pie chart for the Bears offensive success. He doesn’t call the plays, but he’s doing a lot of the work during the week uh to come up with these game plans, so on and so forth. So, it’s hard to like quantify that, if you will. But again, when you’re having success, other teams going to pay attention like, “Oh, I wonder who the Bears offensive coordinator is uh under Ben Johnson. They finally have a good offense. Oh, Declan Doyle, 29 years old. let’s let’s let’s call him pick his brain. So, yeah, I could absolutely see that being the case uh in this cycle, even though I think it’s a very long shot that he would get a head coaching job. Now, Ben Johnson, if you remember, said this about Declan Doyle, I believe at the NFL combine back in February, said John Morton, who’s the Lions OC right now, uh had his play call taken away, but said, uh he told me, Ben, listen, he’s another Ben Johnson. I’m banking on that being a good thing. Listen, I think he and I are a match made in heaven. He thinks very much like me. And then Shawn Payeyton, who Doyle has worked under both in Denver and New Orleans, said right away if you’re a player or a coach, you’re like, quote, “This guy knows his shit.” Close quote. So again, the endorsement of Shawn Payeyton, Ben Johnson thinking that he’s very similar to me, especially when I was that age. John Morton, who maybe he’s not the greatest play caller, but he’s worked under some big-time head coaches saying, “Ben, go hire this guy.” Uh, he’s got a lot of skins on the wall. His dad, who got in trouble for some not so great things at Iowa, but that’s not Declan’s fault. He coached college football forever. So, he has he has this kind of he’s had the upbringing to be a coach. He’s been around some smart guys. He is definitely a riser in this business. Now, could he leave this off season? I would say if he does, it’s most likely to become a play calling offensive coordinator. The Bears could not block that, right? He is a non-play calling OC. So, if some team wanted to bring him in as a play calling offensive coordinator, he could take that job. Now, he might say, “Hey, I’m 29 years old. I want to get more experience here with Ben. I’m just going to stay put and do what I’m doing.” I could totally see that being the case as well. But listen, depending on the team, if someone wants to make him the play caller, I I would not be shocked uh if he jumped at that opportunity. Again, head coach probably a long shot, but could get an interview or two. Would not shock me whatsoever. Now, how would you grade the Bears offense so far this year? A B C D or or F? I’d give it a solid BB plus to be honest. Now, they’ve missed some opportunities, you know, especially early on in the year. The penalties were an issue, but they can really run the football. They have that identity. uh they get a lot of explosives in the passing game. Caleb Williams still coming along. It’s not perfect, but uh BB+ for the Chicago Bears. Uh usually we’re talking D’s and Fs. So, uh yeah, people are paying attention. They’re noticing these things. All right, we’ll get to some other coaches that have garnered some attention uh per Tom Pelisero. But I do want to tell you guys about our awesome sponsor that is Ethos, the best life insurance partner uh you could have. Life insurance is the most important investment you can make here in your family. Now, with Ethos, you can get covered and protected in minutes with rates as low as $2 per day build monthly. You can also get up to $3 million in coverage. As a husband, a father, having life insurance is absolutely vital. 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Uh you see him a lot uh during these games on the sideline. It’s usually him and Case Keenum uh you know on the iPad with Caleb kind of reviewing the the series before that stuff. I think Declan’s up in the booth uh getting that bird’s eye view for Ben Johnson and you know feeding that information down obviously having some input with the play calls and everything but um JT Barrett just kind of has like that aura if you will as the kids would say. I mean he’s a big-time college quarterback, you know, turned to coaching really quickly and uh has now uh become this team’s quarterback’s coach. I also do wonder if Declan Doyle did take a play calling OC job. Would JT Barrett just be like, “Hey, you’re now the OC, right?” Like, you’re not going to call plays, but you’re the offensive coordinator. A little promotion here for you. Uh, and then, uh, you know, they hire a different quarterback coach or maybe he still works at the quarterback some. Case Keenum is QB’s coach. Who says no? Uh, could see that being a possibility. Keenum strikes me as a guy who could get into coaching if he wants to, but uh, yeah, I could see Barrett sticking around and just kind of taking that promotion. Uh, but he is a name to watch in the future, only 30 years old. Jim Dre, the Bears tight end coach. And if you remember when Ben Johnson started putting the staff together, he kept two coaches from the prior staff. Richard Hightower is the special teams coordinator and Jim Dre. I thought it spoke volumes when he kept Jim Dre because Ben Johnson is an offensive guy. This offense has been a joke and he kept an offensive assistant. That caught my attention at the time and I would say it’s looked like a pretty good move, right? You know, it took some time, but Coulson Lovelin’s gotten more involved. He looks like the real deal. He’s blocking his ass off for a rookie tight end to block this well early on. Really impressive. Obviously, Cole Kat has spoken highly of Jim Dre over the years. He really likes him as well. Um, so just 38 years old, maybe he’s a guy that could get an offensive coordinator job down the line somewhere. So, uh, keep an eye on him also. All right, subscribe to the channel. news, rumors, injury updates, game day coverage. We do it all here at Chicago Bears now. And we don’t charge a dime. It’s 100% free. Turn on those notifications. That way you never miss an episode. Okay. Press Taylor is next. Just 37 years old. Feels like he’s been around for a while. He’s with the Eagles, with the Jags. Uh there’s mixed reviews around Press Taylor leaguewide. I remember uh Bears fans were making fun of the Jags for hiring Shane Waldron as their pass game coordinator. Jags fans were making fun of the Bears for hiring Press Taylor as their passing game coordinator. So, you know, who knows, right? But he’s still a young guy. He’s been on staffs that have had some success. So, um you know, I don’t know more than other guys on Press Taylor necessarily, but uh he is a name that Pelisero mentioned. And then the last one here, Canon Matthews, the Nicholls uh coach, a defensive assistant, works with the Nicholls. I will say this, Kyler Gordon’s missed mo missed most of the year. This defense has had to mix and match at nickel. You know, Nick Mloud was at least scrappy holding his own in there. Uh they, you know, Josh Blackwell has played a few snaps. Obviously, CJ Gardner Johnson uh in the mix now. They’re they’re pretty aggressive with how they deploy their nickels. Now, you know, Dennis Allen’s the play caller, but Canon Matthews is working with these guys in positional drills. So, uh he could be a name uh to keep an eye on, too. Just a few other coaches I want to mention. They’re not younger than 45. That’s why they’re not mentioned in this article, but I think guys that could garner attention elsewhere. Uh Eric Benemy, you would think that some teams would be interested in bringing him in uh or at least interviewing him as an OC candidate. I don’t know about head coach. He’d probably have to be an OC first, prove his worth there, then maybe he gets back into the head coach interview mix where he was for a while when he was with Kansas City. But people forget when he was the commander’s offensive coordinator, Sam Hal threw for 4,000 yards. Like I I don’t know how good of a play caller Eric Bammy is, but I don’t think he’s a scrub. And I think what he’s done with these running backs uh has been really impressive. DeAndre Swift has had arguably the best year of his career. Definitely better than last year. And Kyle Manunga is a seventh round rookie has more than belonged. And I think Benemy has done a great job with these guys. Antoine Randle, he strikes me as a guy who could be a head coach in this league. CEO type. I don’t know if he would be a play calling head coach, but uh he’s just got those natural leadership qualities. There’s a reason Ben Johnson named him the assistant head coach. You know, he leads some of these weedings meetings leading up uh to these games. So, he’s someone also then Al Harris, who’s not only the DB’s coach, but the defensive pass game coordinator. I think he’s a prime candidate to be a defensive coordinator soon. Think about what this guy has done. Jaylen Johnson has not been available pretty much all year. Kyler Gordon has played in two games. you know, Nan Wright career year. I think Al Harris gets a lot of credit for that. Tyreek Stevenson, it’s been a little up and down, but he’s played pretty damn well at times. Like Al Harris is a really, really good defensive backs coach. I remember Cowboys fans were in shambles when they lost him. So, he is definitely a guy who’s going to get a DC opportunity at some point. Who knows, maybe he gets some head coach looks down the road as well. And I’ll say it one more time. A, this is what you want because that means you’re winning. teams are going to be interested in your coaches if you are winning. The good news is this, your head coach is the play caller offensively. So, you’re not going to be changing offenses. That’s why I like offensive head coaches because if it works, you’re not changing schemes. Sure, the scheme might evolve and you might you’re going to constantly add things, but you’re not having to change. You know, Jaylen Herz has a new OC every year. That’s that’s not what you want. And then Dennis Allen is probably not getting a third chance to be a head coach down the and if he is, it’s way down the road. So, your two pillars are set in Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen. So, that’s the good news. And, uh, you know, the trickle down effect from there, those those coaches obviously matter. But, if you have your two play callers in place, that that really really helps. All right. Which assistant coach do you most not want to lose? I think if I had to pick one, I’d pick Al Harris because I think what he’s done with guys who, you know, Nan Wright on a practice squad last year, kind of a journeyman backup, really, really impressive. I think he’s gotten really good production out of Tyreek Stevenson as well. I’m hoping you get another year out of this guy because I don’t think long term you’re going to have him, unfortunately. Uh, and then if I had to pick another one, I’d probably pick Antoine Randallow. I think he’s just he’s just kind of a glue guy. I think you can feel his presence uh on this football team. So, those would probably be the two I would point to, but let me know what you guys think. All right, that’s going to do it for this episode of Chicago Bears. Now, be sure to hit that subscribe button. We’re not going anywhere. Content every single day. And as always, bear down. [Music]

NFL insider Tom Pelissero named Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle and multiple other Bears assistant coaches as potential names to monitor in the 2026 coaching carousel. Doyle is a first-year OC that doesn’t call plays, but he’s consider a fast riser in the NFL with his experience under Sean Payton and now Ben Johnson. Could Doyle draw NFL head coach interest or play-calling offensive coordinator looks? Which other Bears assistants could leave Ben Johnson’s staff? Find out on this Chicago Bears YouTube video.

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Bear Down in the comments section!
– Grade the Bears offense so far this year! A, B, C, D or F
– Which assistant do you most not want to lose?

NFL insider Tom Pelissero on Bears OC Declan Doyle:
“One of the youngest coordinators in modern NFL history, Doyle spent three years as a student assistant at Iowa before then-Saints coach Sean Payton hired him as an offensive assistant in 2019. When Payton ended a one-year retirement to take the Broncos’ head coaching job, he hired Doyle as tight ends coach in Denver, where Doyle spent two seasons before Ben Johnson hand-picked him to serve as OC. With the Bears off to a fast start and QB Caleb Williams playing better, Doyle’s pedigree could compel some teams to at least want to pick his brain in January.”

Bears offensive stats (NFL Rank)
– Points Per Game: 25.8 (8th)
– Total Yards Per Game: 373.8 (4th)
– Passing Yards Per Game: 227.2 (13th)
– Rushing Yards Per Game: 146.6 (2nd)
– Turnovers: 6 (T-2nd)

List of Bears Assistant Coaches Named by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
– Declan Doyle (OC)
– JT Barrett (QB Coach)
– Jim Dray (TE Coach)
– Press Taylor (Pass Game Coordinator)
– Cannon Matthews (Nickelbacks Coach)

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Bears head coach Ben Johnson on Declan Doyle in February:
“John Morton told me ‘Ben listen: He’s another Ben Johnson.’ I’m banking on that being a good thing. Listen, I think he and I are a match made in heaven. He thinks very much like me.”

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Other Bears Assistant Coaches that could draw interest from other NFL teams:
– Eric Bieniemy (RB Coach)
– Al Harris (DB’s / Defensive Pass Game Coordinator)
– Antwaan Randle El (WR’s / Assistant Head Coach)

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More Bears YouTube videos for you to watch:
– Chicago Bears Rumors: Aaron Rodgers vs. Mason Rudolph + Ryan Poles Making BIG TRADE This Offseason? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff6D28api9Y
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