The Denver Broncos have a trip to London to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on top in Week 8 and if that doesn’t evoke excitement, don’t feel bad.
Broncos fans are going to have to wake up extra early on Sunday morning for a 7:30 a.m. MT kickoff. If the Broncos don’t look a whole lot different on offense than they have in the first seven games, many of those fans may go right back to sleep.
And why would the team look any better? The offense has been horrendous thus far and it doesn’t sound like Nathaniel Hackett has any plans to make any changes.
Previously I discussed the team making a change by having Hackett hand over play-calling duties to Klint Kubiak. That needs to happen immediately and it needs to happen for a couple of reasons.
For one, the Broncos’ offense needs a jolt. Kubiak has called plays before and the Broncos need a fresh mind in the playbook as the team has looked the same in nearly every single game, averaging just 14.2 points per game, the lowest in the league.
In addition, the Broncos have had two different quarterbacks play this season and with Brett Rypien in this past week, the offense didn’t get better and it didn’t get worse. It looked exactly the same.
Hackett is in way over his head, that’s not even debatable. His poor game management was on display in Week 1 and soon after, the team brought in Jerry Rosburg to help him with that aspect.
But his offensive system, the main thing he was hired for, is not working.
If the Broncos lose to the Jaguars this Sunday and do so in the same fashion they have in their five other losses this season (terrible offense, scoring 10-16 points), then immediate changes will become necessary.
There are reports out there that the Walton/Penner group that now owns the Broncos is embarrassed by what is going on with the team and since that group did not hire Hackett, could easily be swayed to make a quick business decision.
Take a listen to this discussion between Rich Eisen and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk for a bit more insight on that subject.
Broncos need to move on from Nathaniel Hackett with loss to Jacksonville
If the Broncos lose to the Jaguars, particularly if that loss comes as the result of a sluggish, inept offense, then it is time to relieve Hackett of his duties. It just is.
This team is not going to get this turned around and at this point, it would be shocking to see Hackett back on the sidelines next season. Why not just take care of that now?
If the team does go this route, here is how the coaching staff should look when the Broncos return to the field following their bye week.
Interim head coach: Dom Capers
Dom Capers is the logical coach to take over and guide the team through the rest of the season. Many fans are going to want to see Ejiro Evero take that spot over, but he is still young in his position and needs to stay focused on that.
Capers is a veteran coach who currently serves as a senior defensive assistant for the Broncos. He has been in tough situations before as he was the first coach in the history of both the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans.
Capers has 128 regular-season games under his belt and he could get the team through this season and allow the front office to begin its search for Hackett’s eventual successor, where Ejiro could be considered a candidate.
Offensive Coordinator: Klint Kubiak
Along with Hackett, the Broncos should also show offensive coordinator Justin Outten the door. In his spot, Kubiak could take over as the offensive coordinator for the rest of the season, at least.
Depending on how that went and on who the future head coach would end up being, Kubiak should absolutely be considered for that job on a more long-term basis.
The Broncos may need to look for a new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator unless those duties were left with Kubiak.
Defensive Coordinator: Ejiro Evero/Special Teams Coordinator: Dwayne Stukes
There would be no change at either of these spots as these two coaches have been two of the few bright spots this season. Both coaches would need to be seriously considered to be retained by whoever came in as the team’s next head coach.
These are changes that need to take place to see what the Broncos have to work with heading into next season. Whether or not there would be any kind of improvement would be questionable, but it certainly wouldn’t make things any worse.