Broncos Expected to Name Jack Del Rio Interim Head Coach Sunday

The Denver Broncos are expected to formally announce who will be taking over for head coach John Fox, who is taking a four-to-six week leave of absence with his up-coming heart valve surgery.

Fox will certainly be missed by the Broncos, and our best wishes go out to him, however the games still need to be played and the Broncos are going to have a new head man game-planning and calling all the shots on the sideline.

The obvious choice here is Jack Del Rio, who had been a head coach in Jacksonville for nine years before getting the can a couple of seasons ago and winding up with the Broncos as a defensive coordinator.

On the one hand, it’s really critical for the Broncos to have a guy like Del Rio who can get ready an entire game plan, manage a game, manage situations, and make tough decisions on fourth downs and things like that. On the other hand, it would be a nice luxury for them to be able to have Del Rio focus on calling the defense, but I don’t foresee that happening at this point.

If the Broncos did go another direction other than Del Rio, it’d be running backs coach Eric Studesville, who was the team’s interim head coach when Josh McDaniels was fired in 2010. Studesville doesn’t have any other NFL head coaching experience, which makes him an unlikely candidate with Del Rio already in the fold.

Expect a post later informing you of Del Rio being named interim head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Jan 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports