The Chicago Bears' 2026 offseason has been brutal, with the loss of key pieces who helped them make the playoffs last year.
It started with the loss of running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who returned to the Kansas City Chiefs as the offensive coordinator, while also losing assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who took the Atlanta Falcons' general manager job. The biggest loss for the Bears was offensive coordinator Declan Doyle taking the Baltimore Ravens opening at the same position.
Doyle's departure was unexpected, as he had withdrawn from the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator job with the intention of staying in Chicago. Losing him was tough on the Bears' fan base, and it hit the players hard, too.
Bears tight end Cole Kmet shared his thoughts on Declan Doyle's departure
While appearing on 104.3 The Score, Bears tight end Cole Kmet was asked about the team losing Doyle to the Ravens. Kmet shared why it was such a big hit to the team.
"Even though Declan didn't call the plays for us, the amount of work that he did on the offensive side of the football was immense. You could see that day to day in practices," Kmet said. "Declan was very hands-on with all of us."
"Declan's the one addressing the offense at halftime, going over the openers that are gonna be coming up in the second half. Telling us what we need to do, what they're seeing, and how we can make adjustments. Declan was definitely a very valuable piece to us offensively."
Doyle made a huge impact on the Bears in his only season as the team's offensive coordinator, as they finished in the top five in total offense and rushing on the year. He was also instrumental in developing key players such as Caleb Williams, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Ozzy Trapilo.
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While there hasn't been much noise about who the Bears are targeting for the offensive coordinator job, at least everyone knows that head coach Ben Johnson will be calling the plays. It didn't excuse the fact that Chicago will feel the loss of Doyle next season.