Broncos first three head coach interviews are now solidified

The Denver Broncos have begun their search for a new head coach and the first three candidates will interview Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

How soon will the Denver Broncos know who their next head coach is? Well, it may not be likely, but they could have an idea after this weekend.

Although the majority of the candidates are part of teams in the playoffs (and teams that play this week), there is a trio of candidates that will be available and interviewing on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with Broncos general manager George Paton and the others with the team that will be part of that process.

Three Broncos head coach interviews set for the weekend

The head coach interview slate is going to be expansive for George Paton, especially if he winds up going through with interviewing every candidate the Broncos have requested interviews for.

At this point, that particular list has reached a whopping 10 candidates. Paton did promise he would be casting a wide net.

Those 10 candidates, including the ones who will interview yet this week:

• Aaron Glenn, DC, Lions
• Nathaniel Hackett, OC, Packers
• Luke Getsy, QBs, Packers
• Jerod Mayo, LBs, Patriots
• Dan Quinn, DC, Cowboys
• Kellen Moore, OC, Cowboys
• Jonathan Gannon, DC, Eagles
• Kevin O’Connell, OC, Rams
• Brian Callahan, OC, Bengals
• Eric Bieniemy, OC, Chiefs

Callahan is the most recent name added to that list. He was a member of the Broncos’ coaching staff from 2010-15 and has done a great job this year with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Getting to the candidates that will interview over the weekend, I can’t help but feel like the top candidate is interviewing on Friday when the Broncos meet with Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Although right now everyone seems to think the frontrunner is Dan Quinn, the reasons for that all deal with familiarity and the fact that Quinn is the only proven head coach on this list.

While that kind of stability could be a huge asset for Denver and Quinn is a strong candidate, the Broncos clearly need an offensive-minded coach coming in. Not everyone in Broncos Country agrees with that, but this team has been stuck in an offensive rut since the end of the 2014 season.

Denver had a chance in 2017 to hire Kyle Shanahan. They had a chance in 2019 to hire Matt LaFleur.

Out of the 14 playoff teams in 2021, nine of them have offensive-minded head coaches. Not that the Broncos need to forsake the defensive side of the ball or that any defensive-minded candidates are inherently bad, but the Broncos need to set themselves up for long-term success on offense, and hiring a defensive-minded head coach is not the best way to do that.

Hackett, in particular, I anticipate blowing the Broncos away in the interview process. Everything you read about him and everything you can see from him in videos is exactly what Paton is looking for as far as someone with leadership traits, personality, the ability to inspire and empower, and someone who clearly cares about player development.

Denver Broncos realistic trade targets for the 2022 Season

As the 2022 offseason is now closely approaching, the Denver Broncos should call around the league to try and trade for some veteran players.

We’ll see what the weekend brings, but for now, it’s exciting to see the team moving forward in their search.