The Denver Broncos will likely move on from Nathaniel Hackett at season’s end, and veteran coach Jim Caldwell makes a ton of sense to take over. I would venture to guess that the Broncos’ front office has currently begun their new head coaching search..
Surely they have begun to assemble a list of coaches they’d consider once they fire Nathaniel Hackett, which should come at season’s end, at the latest. I don’t need to lecture Broncos fans on how bad this season has gone for the team. I personally believe Hackett is the most to blame.
The Broncos tried their hand at hiring the young, offensive-minded coach that so many other teams have done that some have found success with. Unfortunately, Denver appeared to have hired the wrong one.
They weren’t in the wrong by hiring Hackett–in fact, he was a popular candidate. No one could have predicted the absolute crapshow that Hackett created. It’s smart to move off of him ASAP and to try and correct the mistake.
There are a few things that the next head coach of the Denver Broncos should have. And among the likely 10+ candidates that the team may interview, I think one of them stands out the most as the best fit for the team.
He wouldn’t be the sexiest hire but I think he’s the hire that the team needs, and that’s Jim Caldwell.
What makes Caldwell so desirable in my opinion? Let’s dig into it!
Why Jim Caldwell is the perfect coach for the Broncos
One of the most important qualities that the Broncos need to prioritize in their next head coach is someone who has head coaching experience already, preferably at the NFL level. I find this experience to be extremely valuable, and in many instances, coaches who perhaps didn’t find a ton of success in their first head coaching job usually do better during their second time around.
Well, Caldwell checks this box twice. He’s been a head coach with two different teams. His first head coaching gig was in 2009 with the Indianapolis Colts. He coached there for three seasons, finishing 26-22 in the regular season.
His next stop came in Detroit with the Lions from 2014-2017. He managed three winning seasons in four years in Detroit, made the playoffs twice, and finished with a 36-28 record in the regular season, and one of the most baffling head coaching firings the league has seen in a while was the Lions firing Caldwell after back to back winning seasons given how much the franchise has gone through.
Altogether in the regular season, Caldwell is 62-50, which is a .554 winning percentage. Mind you, head coaches with winning records in the NFL are not usually free agents like Caldwell is, so this would be a great pickup.
Secondly, the next quality that the Broncos might desire is his being an offensive mind. I don’t think the Broncos are settling on one side of the ball, but it’s clear that the offense is the weak link, so hiring an offensive and veteran mind might make the most sense.
Another reason why Jim Caldwell might be a perfect fit is that he does have some work as a QB developer. From 1986-1992, he was the QB’s coach at Penn State. He held the same role in 2001 with the Buccaneers. From 2002-2008, he was the assistant head coach and QB coach with the Colts.
During his time with the Colts as the QB’s coach, Peyton Manning threw for 222 touchdowns, 84 interceptions, and earned a passer rating of 100.5. He also won three of his MVPs during this stretch as the Colts went 85-27 in the regular season.
In 2012, he was the QB’s coach and interim offensive coordinator in Baltimore. Joe Flacco had one of the best seasons of his career in 2012. The Ravens scored the 10th most points per game and won the Super Bowl as well.
During his tenure in Detroit, Matthew Stafford had a very solid four-year stretch with the Lions, passing for 107 touchdowns, 45 interceptions, and a 93.7 passer rating. There is concrete evidence here of Jim Caldwell working with quarterbacks and getting quite a bit out of them.
And perhaps one of the most important reasons and factors for Jim Caldwell’s potential candidacy in Denver is Peyton Manning himself. The new Broncos’ ownership group has had some interest in Peyton Manning and his opinions.
They’ve asked for his input, I’m sure, and expressed interest in adding him in some capacity.
They have expressed interest in adding Peyton Manning in some capacity.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) June 8, 2022
Whether or not that ultimately comes to fruition remains to be seen. https://t.co/bqxJkM9CNc
Broncos respond to reports of Russell Wilson losing the locker room
The Denver Broncos responded to reports from NFL Network insiders that Russell Wilson has started to lose some of the locker room.
This would make sense as Manning would give them an incredibly sharp football mind which does not appear currently present in the ownership group itself. I would bet large sums of money that Jim Caldwell is interviewed for the team’s future head coaching vacancy.