How does the Denver Broncos head coach job stack up vs. others?
There are typically 6-7 head coaching openings every year in the NFL, and the Denver Broncos have one, but how attractive is it?
The Denver Broncos have a head coaching opening for 2022. They also had one before the 2019 season. After three years at the helm, Vic Fangio was fired.
Typically, the NFL sees 6-7 head coaching vacancies per offseason. During this cycle, there are 8 openings, with the Broncos, Raiders, Texans, Dolphins, Jaguars, Giants, Vikings, and Bears all looking for their next head man.
I would argue that the Broncos have the most attractive opening of any team looking for a coach.
So, let’s break this down team by team.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are an interesting team. After an unbelievably dramatic season, they managed to squeak into the playoffs, but they are far from perfect.
Their offensive line needs help, as does their defensive line. They need to stock up on another receiver or two and figure out what to do with Derek Carr. I think it’s a small miracle that they managed to go 10-7.
Even with a playoff appearance, I give the Broncos the edge here. The Broncos have an overall stronger roster and don’t have a ton of holes.
A small advantage I can think of is that the Raiders recently built a new stadium, so perhaps prospective coaches will see a new facility as a reason to want to coach there.
I think the Raiders will undergo significant change this offseason, as they are looking to replace their General Manager too.
Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears
I lumped these three teams in because you could argue that each team might have their quarterback of the future, but the roster outside of that is largely mediocre.
Davis Mills looked really solid for the Texans this year, and they are clearly in a more long-term rebuild with new General Manager Nick Caserio. They have holes about everywhere else on the roster and will need several more years before they will be competitive again.
The Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence and need to do everything in their power to assure that he develops. They have some pieces on offense and defense, but their core is still largely weak.
If all goes well, the Jags should be set to be relevant in 2023 or 2024. A new head coach is going to need to be patient with this team, but they’d have the luxury of playing and coaching in Florida.
The Chicago Bears have Justin Fields, who was awful this year, but many across the league think he’s their guy.
Their defense is getting rather old; they need more pass catchers and an improved offensive line. This is another team with many holes that will take multiple years to address.
The advantage I give the Broncos over these teams is that the Denver Broncos’ roster is much more complete on both sides of the ball. Denver is truly a quarterback away and I would also argue that George Paton is a much stronger General Manager than Trent Baalke of the Jaguars or Nick Caserio of the Texans. The Bears currently do not have a GM.
Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants
These are teams that have some solid pieces in place but still have quite a few question marks.
The Dolphins fired Brian Flores after a 9-8 season, which is odd, but they are on the cusp of being a consistent playoff team.
They need to get their offensive line situation fixed and see if Tua Tagovailoa is the answer, but they are a desirable spot, as they are also in Florida.
The Vikings are interesting because they have talent on both sides of the ball but some of their talent is older. Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are probably their two best players, and they’re both young which is a bonus.
It remains to be seen what the team will do with Kirk Cousins, but if the new coach would want to keep everything in place, the Vikings could be a Wild Card team next year.
The Giants are a mess. Their offense has excellent players who battled injury all season, but their offensive line is pathetic.
Games are won and lost in the trenches, and the Giants need to fix theirs.
They do have two high draft picks which is a bonus, but they are a couple of years away from competing, as Daniel Jones’ failure to develop has hurt their future greatly.
The Giants have the ammo to draft a quarterback and could perhaps land Russell Wilson, so I think New York isn’t too far away.
Overall, though, the Denver Broncos might present a better coaching opportunity than the Giants’ or Vikings’, but I think you could argue that the Dolphins are a more desirable spot, since they appear to be right on the door of the playoffs, while the Broncos haven’t come close in years.
Where the Denver Broncos rank among other HC openings
Ranking them overall, here’s where I think the Broncos would stack up among attractiveness:
- Miami Dolphins
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New York Giants
- Chicago Bears
- Houston Texans
The Denver Broncos do have an attractive head coaching opening, no matter what others in the media will try to say.