New Ravens Coach Declan Doyle Commanding Lamar Jackson to Show up for Offseason Workouts Doesn’t Sit Well with Chad Ochocinco

Ravens new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle wants Lamar Jackson to attend the offseason training camp.

New Ravens Coach Declan Doyle Commanding Lamar Jackson to Show up for Offseason Workouts Doesn’t Sit Well with Chad Ochocinco

Lamar Jackson and Chad Johnson inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

The Ravens’ new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, may be an inspiring hire in the Baltimore circle, but he’s already made some enemies with his statement. Leading the fight is former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, who chastised Doyle for forcing players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, to attend offseason training camp.

In a recent segment of the Nightcap Podcast, Johnson—Ochocinco—argued that Doyle, despite being the coach, has no right to pressure the team’s star signal caller.

You don’t do that coming in as a new coach! It’s dumb and it’s stupid! Why would you piss off your QB with a message like that! It’s stupid!

Chad Johnson said

Head coach Jesse Minter made several additions to his new look Ravens coaching room. Doyle is the same age as Jackson and younger than some players he will manage. Last year, he orchestrated a playoff-caliber Bears team and helped establish Caleb Williams as an exciting prospect.

Jackson is far ahead of Williams in the quarterback race. A two-time NFL MVP shouldn’t require many lessons about how to be an elite quarterback. That said, he has yet to win a conference title, meaning he has yet to play in a Super Bowl, unlike his peers Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.

We expect them to be here. It certainly is voluntary, but if you want to say that you’re going to win a championship, you want to say that you have championship goals and expectations, that’s going to take work and collaboration.

Declan Doyal said during his introductory press conference

Doyal definitely did his homework before the press conference. Jackson missed three back-to-back practice sessions during the 2024 training camp. Well, it was out of his control because he fell ill due to a bug that infected several athletes across the league. The 29-year-old eventually rejoined the team.

Declan Doyle gets support from an ex-Ravens standout for his remark against Lamar Jackson

Johnson may be opposed to Doyle’s methods, but a former Raven has welcomed his decision to run a strict module in Baltimore. Marcus Spears, who played one year for the Ravens, believes Doyle’s methods would bring order to the Ravens’ locker room.

New Ravens Coach Declan Doyle Commanding Lamar Jackson to Show up for Offseason Workouts Doesn't Sit Well with Chad Ochocinco
Lamar Jackson (Image via IMAGO)

Spears said on ESPN’s ‘NFL Live’,

I think that’s a big move by Declan Doyle. It’s establishing respect. It’s establishing, ‘I’m the offensive coordinator, but I’m wanting my quarterback here, the guy that I’ve seen do big things in this league to be a big part of the success that we have.’ This will be the most polarizing offensive coordinator job in the league because of who Lamar Jackson is.

After the year the Ravens had, they do need tough love. Bugged by injuries, Lamar performed poorly when the Ravens needed him to deliver. He completed 63.6% of his passes for 2594 yards, threw 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, alongside scoring 2 touchdowns on the ground in 13 starts. In that stretch, the Ravens went 6-7 (8-9 in total) and missed the playoffs.

Baltimore is due for a deep playoff run, similar to the Seahawks, who won their second ring in franchise history, first since the 2013-14 season. The Ravens won their second ring a year earlier and haven’t qualified for that stage ever since.

Also Read: