The NFC East powerhouse is targeting a key assistant from Chicago

The Chicago Bears may lose another beacon of head coach Ben Johnson’s staff. The Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday requested permission to interview Chicago offensive coordinator Declan Doyle for their vacant offensive coordinator position under head coach Nick Sirianni, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This comes after The Eagles fired Kevin Patul following their 23-19 Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Doyle spent the 2025 season as the Bears’ offensive coordinator, though Johnson retained call-calling duties. Under their cooperation, Chicago’s offense emerged as one of the league’s most advanced units, finishing sixth in total points, third in total yards, sixth in total yards per game, tenth in passing yards and earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift both had career seasons. Rookie Kyle Monangai rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns.

Prior to joining the Bears, Doyle coached tight ends with the Denver Broncos (2023-2024) and assumed the role of offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints from 2019 to 2022. During his time in New Orleans, the team went 41-25 (.621), winning two NFC titles and two NFC South titles overall. nods, giving Doyle exposure to high-level offensive schemes under Sean Payton. Johnson brought Doyle to Chicago in 2025, making him the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL at the time.

Philadelphia’s interest in Doyle appears to be partly circumstantial. The Eagles initially wanted to sign a proven player, targeting names like Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll and Zac Robinson. After those options became unavailable, the team expanded its search to rising coaching talent, including Doyle, despite his lack of prior playing experience. It’s a pretty risky pick considering the fact that Doyle has just one season as an NFL coordinator and hasn’t called any plays with the Bears. For Doyle, successfully leading Philadelphia’s stellar offense with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith could prepare him for future coaching opportunities.

Johnson expressed support for his assistants to advance in their careers, admitting at his season-ending press conference that he is “all for it” when other teams want to interview his staff. Doyle’s potential departure would follow that of running backs coach Eric Bieniemi returns to the Kansas City Chiefs as offensive coordinator.