The Denver Broncos should no longer be coached by Nathaniel Hackett, but who should end up leading the team beginning in 2023? Some have said that firing head coaches in-season won’t really do much to help. Popular Denver Broncos media member Benjamin Allbright has said this before.
I'm not sure that solves anything. Hiring an NFL coach in season makes almost no sense unless he's lost the locker room.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 18, 2022
Not like college ball where you get a jump on recruiting with a new hire you have to wait till the end of the year to make a new hire anyway. https://t.co/oCrXftbDey
However, I disagree a bit with Ben’s assessment. I think this idea varies from case to case, and I think firing Hackett could actually help out a bit. I think in that case we’d see Dom Capers take over head coaching duties and Klint Kubiak gets play-calling duties. Allbright did mention something similar.
Denver Broncos may not fire Nathaniel Hackett in-season, but a new HC looks like a real possibility in 2023
I don't think they're going to fire him in season... again it just doesn't make any sense to.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 18, 2022
If they did I would suppose the interim head coach would probably be Dom Capers. https://t.co/mQTaVYQ5Jg
Interim head coaches don’t usually get the full-time gig in the NFL, so if this were the case and Hackett were fired in-season, George Paton would undergo his second head coaching search in as many years. But this begs the question as to who should be the coach of the Denver Broncos in 2023.
Well, Paton has seemed to strike out using the “young, offensive-minded” trend that many teams are copying. Other teams like the Bengals and Cardinals seem to be heading that way, too. It’s not as easy as simply hiring an offensive guy and letting the rest work out.
So, what I am thinking as of now is George Paton leaning toward hiring a more veteran head coach who has perhaps served in the role before. This would make the most sense for a team like the Denver Broncos who are built to win now and are not in a rebuilding phase.
Their roster is set for immediate success for the most part, and I don’t think Paton would hinge his job on another first-time head coach. Names that are beginning to stick out to me are guys like Dan Quinn and Leslie Frazier, two veteran, defensive-minded coaches who are very respected around the NFL and who have been around the game for a ton of years.
I think Dan Quinn might be the favorite for some in Broncos Country. Someone like Raheem Morris, another defensive veteran coach could also get an interview as well. Unfortunately, the Broncos may not have a ton of coaches like this to pick from, and I reiterate, I just don’t see George Paton hiring another first-time head coach.
For better or worse, the Broncos are stuck with Russell Wilson
Through six games, both Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos look awful. Even if Wilson is part of the issue, the team is stuck with him for a while.
We’ve seen how badly that has worked out for the team so far, and there are other examples of this across the league.