Sean Payton is not exactly known for his coaching tree, and his hire of retread coordinators to begin his Broncos staff didn’t do much to signal a desire to grow his tree. A few younger names are definitely members of his coaching tree; however, giving him a chance to leave a larger impact on the game. One young coach of his in particular has become a rising star in the offensive coaching industry.

With coaching season in full swing across the league, at least half of the NFL is set to have a new offensive play caller next year. This is driven in a large part by the fact that there have been 10 head coaching changes so far this year, several of whom were offensive play callers themselves. With opportunities such as the job in Baltimore and the job in Pittsburgh coming open for the first time in forever, there have been some incredibly coveted jobs. 

Perhaps no coordinator job is more coveted than that of the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator. Under new head coach Jesse Minter, being able to lead an offense with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is a once-in-a-career type of opportunity. The Ravens have reportedly found their new man, and this hire does a ton for Payton’s coaching tree. 

The Baltimore Ravens have hired a former Broncos and Saints coach as their offensive coordinator

The Ravens have hired a former Sean Payton assistant as their next offensive coordinator. Declan Doyle was first hired by Payton in New Orleans before eventually serving as the Broncos‘ tight end coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Following his time with the Broncos, Doyle was most recently on Ben Johnson’s staff in Chicago. He was the offensive coordinator on that team, but did not call plays for the offense.

Doyle, who is still only 29, has been widely regarded as one of the hottest rising coaches in the NFL over the past few years. He landed his first positional coaching position in the NFL in 2023 under Payton in Denver, and he served in that role for two seasons. The Broncos’ tight ends during his time were not exactly the greatest receivers in the world, but his involvement in the running and protection gameplans was impressive enough to land him in Chicago.

The duo of Jim Leonhard and Pete Carmichael is one of the most notable members of the Payton coaching tree and is now set to be the coordinating duo in Buffalo under new head coach Joe Brady. If the Broncos are to promote Davis Webb to offensive coordinator, it would mark the fourth coordinator hire already this cycle from the Payton coaching tree.