Ten candidates to fill the Denver Broncos’ head-coaching vacancy after the firing of Nathaniel Hackett

DENVER — The web page turns as rapidly as Nathaniel Hackett’s 15-game tenure as Broncos head coach. And now, for the third time since January 2019 and the fourth time since Tremendous Bowl 50, the Broncos will seek for a brand new head coach.

It isn’t fairly an annual custom, however for the fifth time since January 2015, the Broncos are searching for a brand new head coach. We’ve bought a number of expertise with this type of search round right here.

However with the doubtless limitless finances of the NFL’s wealthiest homeowners, the Broncos sit in a unique spot than lately. Which is why a listing of potential candidates has a bit extra “oomph,” within the parlance of Vic Fangio, than earlier collections.

Final 12 months’s assortment of candidates largely lacked prior head-coaching expertise.

You possibly can count on one thing totally different this time.

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JIM CALDWELL, EX-DETROIT HEAD COACH

The extra time that passes, the extra spectacular his work in Detroit seems. Detroit made the playoffs twice in 4 seasons with Caldwell. In different phrases, they’d extra postseason appearances with him than in 18 different seasons since 2000 with all different coaches. He left Detroit with a successful document. His in-season promotion to play-caller in Baltimore 10 years in the past was maybe the essential issue within the Ravens incomes their second Lombardi Trophy. And his meticulous nature was an ideal match for taking Peyton Manning from interception-prone younger QB into an environment friendly, MVP-collecting machine. Maybe nobody was extra chargeable for Manning reaching the zenith that he maintained than Caldwell. After which he launched Matthew Stafford on a trajectory that made him one of many NFL’s greatest QBs.

“Me and Jim Caldwell have been constructed very a lot the identical approach,” Manning instructed The Washington Put up earlier this month.

Might you’ve a greater endorsement than that?

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LESLIE FRAZIER, BUFFALO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

George Paton is aware of Frazier nicely, having a first-hand view of his up-and-down tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota made the playoffs as soon as in his three full seasons as head coach. However they did so with Christian Ponder at quarterback. Ponder turned a first-round bust, and his failure to launch in the end claimed Frazier as collateral injury.

Frazier is one in every of two Payments coaches who might earn consideration. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is chargeable for the event and blossoming of Josh Allen. However the purpose why Frazier and Dorsey may be engaging is that this: The adaptable philosophy of Sean McDermott — who realized nicely from Ron Rivera in Carolina — is confirmed to work.

Ex-Payments assistant Brian Daboll helped flip across the Giants regardless of the struggles of QB Daniel Jones. Former Rivera assistant Steve Wilks revived the Panthers after changing into their interim head coach this 12 months. And Rivera himself overcame the distractions of essentially the most dysfunctional group within the NFL to show Washington right into a playoff contender. In contrast to the Belichick tree, this one will get outcomes that translate in different cities.

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JONATHAN GANNON, PHILADELPHIA DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

He interviewed nicely final 12 months with the Broncos, and as soon as once more, the intense, 39-year-old defensive play caller has a top-10 protection.

The Eagles have been tenth in whole protection final 12 months and second this 12 months. He succeeded at getting buy-in from key veterans — most notably Fletcher Cox — and he bought the perfect out of free-agent pickup Haason Reddick, who had a profession 12 months this season in his return to his house space. However what would his plan for Wilson be?

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JIM HARBAUGH, MICHIGAN HEAD COACH

The ex-49ers head coach is a human twister. He would drive some folks inside Broncos headquarters bonkers. He would additionally win. Harbaugh would possibly include a brief shelf life; he lasted simply 4 seasons in San Francisco earlier than leaving after clashes with administration. However he by no means had a dropping season with a workforce that had eight consecutive sub-.500 campaigns earlier than his arrival. Harbaugh would demand excellence from Wilson — and if he didn’t get it, wouldn’t hesitate to look elsewhere.

Harbaugh has by no means failed as a head coach. From the College of San Diego to Stanford College, San Francisco and now the College of Michigan, he’s gained in every single place. He’s improved the fortunes at every cease. However along with his beloved alma mater on the cusp of a nationwide championship and having re-established primacy over its arch-rivals Ohio State, would he depart the place nearest and dearest to his soul?

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BEN JOHNSON, DETROIT OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

This 12 months’s scorching offensive thoughts the 36-year-old Johnson flourished in his first season calling performs. Detroit ranks fourth in whole offense and fifth in scoring offense. They have been twenty second and twenty fifth, respectively, in each classes final 12 months. And he breathed life into the itemizing profession of Laborious Goff, who has his highest ESPN QBR since 2018, when he piloted the Los Angeles Rams to Tremendous Bowl LIII.

However is the timing proper for Dan Campbell’s playcaller? After swinging and lacking on three first-time head coaches and in want of a coach who will be an efficient boss for Russell Wilson, the Broncos might have one thing totally different than what Johnson can present at this time limit.

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SEAN PAYTON, EX-NEW ORLEANS HEAD COACH

Payton would price the Broncos draft compensation to the New Orleans Saints for his rights. And the Broncos shouldn’t have a horny state of affairs — particularly if Payton doesn’t suppose he can wring a lot out of Russell Wilson.

However Payton succeeded in his final main problem. He took over the Saints within the wake of the injury Hurricane Katrina wreaked on the group and town. He signed an injured Drew Brees and was a talismanic power in guiding not simply the workforce, however changing into a beloved civic chief within the wake of true catastrophe. When few believed within the Saints and even New Orleans itself, he did.

So, he wouldn’t have a look at Denver as one thing he couldn’t repair. Nevertheless, different conditions would possibly merely be extra engaging than the Broncos. He may have his choose of jobs. Can the Broncos supply sufficient to make it value Payton’s whereas to climb aboard and eschew different affords?

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DAN QUINN, DALLAS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

In some ways, Quinn matches the profile of a coach who did nicely in his first cease and will enhance on that with a second probability. He guided Atlanta to its first NFC championship in 18 seasons, and got here inside a blown 28-3 lead of incomes the Falcons their solely Tremendous Bowl win. He joined Dallas in 2021 and instantly made the Cowboys protection maybe the league’s greatest playmaking unit.

However after being spurned by the Broncos final January, would he be amenable to making an attempt once more? Quinn can be more likely to have a number of suitors.

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FRANK REICH, EX-INDIANAPOLIS HEAD COACH

If you’d like a coach to attempt to repair Russell Wilson, Reich could possibly be it. In Indianapolis, he had three successful seasons and two playoff appearances in his 4 full seasons regardless of circumstances forcing adjustments at quarterback each season. Fired final month, Reich had 5 totally different Week 1 quarterbacks in 5 seasons. It wasn’t imagined to be that approach, after all. When Reich took the job, Indianapolis had Andrew Luck. However he shocked the soccer world by retiring in 2019, his profession waylaid by accidents that turned an excessive amount of to bear.

The frantic Colts entrance workplace cycled by way of Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan after that. However Reich nonetheless left with a successful document — and he was above .500 with out Luck, going 30-27-1 within the three-and-a-half seasons after Luck walked away. And till Ryan, his quarterbacks typically improved their kind and effectivity below his watch.

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DeMECO RYANS, SAN FRANCISCO DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

As with Frazier, you’re searching for packages and philosophies that breed profitable tenures. The final two assistant coaches to depart the 49ers — Robert Saleh and Mike McDaniel — had success, though the Dolphins are fading late below McDaniel and will fail to match the 9-8 season they’d final 12 months. However Saleh has formed up the Jets regardless of Zach Wilson’s struggles. Ryans succeeded Saleh as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator and took their protection to the subsequent stage. The query on Ryans is similar as it’s for the opposite defensive coaches on this checklist: Who will run the offense and try to repair Russell Wilson?

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SHANE STEICHEN, PHILADELPHIA OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Philadelphia has a top-3 scoring offense and a top-3 whole offense. Jalen Hurts is a respectable MVP candidate. And the offense stored on buzzing with backup Gardner Minshew on the controls, though it had a season-high-matching 4 turnovers final Saturday and now has 7 giveaways in 2 weeks. Nonetheless, this seems to be an aberration for Steichen’s multi-faceted assault; the Eagles had simply 10 giveaways of their first 13 video games.

Though Wilson’s dual-threat talents don’t match these of the youthful Hurts, there are ideas that might translate to Wilson — if the Broncos’ veteran QB buys in.

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OTHERS WHO COULD BE IN THE MIX

• Darrell Bevell, Miami passing-game coordinator
• Eric Bieniemy, Kansas Metropolis offensive coordinator
• Brian Callahan, Cincinnati offensive coordinator
• Ken Dorsey, Buffalo offensive coordinator
• Ejiro Evero, Denver defensive coordinator
• Mike Kafka, New York Giants offensive coordinator
• Kellen Moore, Dallas offensive coordinator
• Raheem Morris, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
• David Shaw, ex-Stanford head coach
• Steve Wilks, interim head coach, Carolina

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