3 under-the-radar Denver Broncos head coach candidates for 2022

Underrated Denver Broncos HC candidate no. 2: Brian Callahan, OC, Bengals

Brian Callahan is a head coach candidate who is already a Super Bowl champion as a member of the Denver Broncos.

He was hired by Denver in 2010 on Josh McDaniels’ staff as a coaching assistant before rising in the ranks as an offensive assistant from 2011-15.

After the 2015 season, Callahan bounced around to the Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, and most recently with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Callahan got his first head coaching gig in the NFL with the Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor, and the two obviously took their lumps in the 2019 season before getting the chance to draft Joe Burrow in 2020.

In 2021, the Bengals have one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL with weapons all over the place. They rank 5th in the league in scoring this season, 7th in passing yards, but only 22nd in rushing.

Callahan has coaching in his blood. He’s the son of longtime NFL offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

Callahan has pulled from the things he learned with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, having worked obviously on some of the best offensive attacks in the NFL. In fact, his input was instrumental with the team deciding to draft Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell in 2021 based on what it was like having three dangerous weapons with that vaunted 2013 Denver Broncos offense.

At 37 years of age, Callahan might be an ideal candidate for the Denver Broncos’ current head coaching vacancy because he has now worked with a wide variety of quarterbacks as a coach, including obviously Peyton Manning and Joe Burrow, but also with players like Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr.

It’s great for Callahan to have that kind of experience, working with a wide variety of guys and a realistic palette in terms of what the Broncos could potentially acquire this coming offseason.