The Denver Broncos should ensure that a few specific names should be on the 2023 staff, no matter who the head coach may be. It may not be as easy as typing it out, but it’s imperative that the team ensures that a few particular men are in some way on the team’s staff in 2023.
Perhaps the Broncos’ interview panel can get this out into the open to the candidates they want to interview before the process even starts. It’s clear that the team’s coaching in 2022 was nothing short of a disaster, and perhaps following the trend of hiring young, offensive-minded coaches doesn’t always work.
Having veteran coaches on the staff who have seen just about everything in the NFL (cough, cough, the Minnesota Vikings’ staff) can lead to good results in the end.
So, who are three coaches that, under every circumstance, should be on the staff in Denver in 2023 and perhaps beyond?
Three coaches who need to be on Broncos’ 2023 staff
Mike Munchak
Ideally, Munchak returns as the offensive line coach. He was shockingly dismissed after the 2021 season, as Nathaniel Hackett decided to bring in then-assistant offensive line coach Butch Barry of the San Francisco 49ers.
That didn’t work, to say the least. It’s clear that Denver does not have a lot of talent in this unit, but at least Munchak was able to squeeze the most out of them. Under Munchak’s watch, the team’s offensives lines were fine. They were average, and that was with poor play along the interior and no solution at right tackle.
Mike Munchak has family in Denver and likely wants to keep coaching. It makes absolutely zero sense to not bring him back.
Ejiro Evero
First-year defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is a stud, to say the least. Clearly, Evero was the best part of what Nathaniel Hackett did as a head coach. He was able to scheme up a top-five unit in football, and that was with the worst offense in the game.
Going into 2023, I think the hope is that the team somehow retains Evero for at least another year. He’ll likely get head coaching interviews, and if he does get offered a job somewhere else, the team likely won’t be able to do anything to prevent him from leaving.
Perhaps the Broncos will give Evero a raise because he certainly deserves it.
Point is, Ejiro Evero is awesome at what he does and the team needs to ensure he stays in Denver for as long as possible.
Jim Caldwell or Frank Reich
Some have rightly pointed out that the Broncos may be involved in a potential quarterback development sooner than they originally thought. This, coupled with Russell Wilson needing a tune-up makes Jim Caldwell and Frank Reich perfect fits for the Broncos.
Frankly, I’d be totally on board with either one serving as the head coach or offensive coordinator. The team won’t get Reich in a lesser role than the offensive coordinator, so QB’s coach is out of the question for him.
Jim Caldwell is someone I could legitimately see as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and a QB coach. I’d assume he’ll get some interviews, so we’ll see how it shakes out for him. I think if I had to pick one, I’d prefer Frank Reich to be on the staff as the offensive coordinator or head coach.
To me, he checks all the boxes that Denver would be looking for in a head coach. Jim Caldwell does, too, and I think a perfect scenario with these two coaches would either be:
HC: Frank Reich
OC or QB coach: Jim Caldwell
OR
HC: Jim Caldwell
OC: Frank Reich
5 significant, noticeable differences from the Broncos without Hackett
The result was the same (a loss) but there were some notable and significant differences for the Denver Broncos in their first game post-Nathaniel Hackett.
Either way, I’d be stoked, but I think Denver should shoot for at least one of them to be on the staff in 2023.