Denver Broncos 3 most surprising head coach interview candidates

2. Aaron Glenn, Lions DC

There are quite a few former players on George Paton’s initial interview list. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion on the list thus far is Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

The Broncos played a game against Dan Campbell’s Lions this year, and I’m not sure anyone expected Campbell’s coaching tree to potentially bear fruit this early on.

Aaron Glenn was a first-round draft pick back in 1994 and he played a very long NFL career, all the way up until 2008.

Glenn has worn a few different hats in his professional football career. Of course, he was a very successful player but he also got into scouting after his playing days, spending two years doing that with the New York Jets. He was also the general manager of a semi-pro team in Houston for a brief bit.

Before becoming the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, Glenn was a defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.

Glenn just helped coach up Amani Oruwariye to a breakout season in 2021 and certainly has done a tremendous job at his previous stops developing defensive backs.

The Lions aren’t winning any awards for their talent defensively so Glenn was making lemonade in 2021, but his interview is still interesting.

He’s the only coaching candidate for the Broncos whose team is not in the playoffs and the Broncos can’t necessarily hire him in a lateral move if they are interested in him more as a defensive coordinator.

It will be fascinating to see what kind of impression Glenn is able to make because he might be one of the first candidates on the docket thanks to the Lions not being in the postseason.