Denver Broncos 2023 head coaching search could go fast

Denver Broncos: Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans of the San Francisco 49ers on the field before during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Dolphins 33-17. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Denver Broncos: Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans of the San Francisco 49ers on the field before during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Dolphins 33-17. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos’ 2023 head coaching search appears to be and could be going very quickly. Could there be a hire in the very near future?  The team has quickly gotten to work on Monday, as it’s been reported that a plethora of candidates have been requested to be interviewed by the Broncos.

We know that the team has already chatted with Sean Payton, and will likely interview him formally at some point.

The team is also set to interview Jim Harbaugh this week.

Not only that, but four other potential candidates will either interview or have been requested by the team to interview.

This consists of Ejiro Evero, Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris, and Demeco Ryans.  Denver appears to be wasting no time here, as they’ve already made strides to attempt to hire one of the big two in Payton and Harbaugh, and they’ve also requested interviews with a few others, who perhaps fall into the tier 2 of things.

I would say that the head coaching searches across the NFL do go rather quickly each year, but this year feels different.  Two Hall of Fame caliber coaches in Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh seem interested in returning to an NFL sideline, and multiple teams have shown interest.

What’s at stake during this head coaching cycle is something that I’m not sure has been up for grabs in recent years.  Payton and Harbaugh, the two hottest names, will likely bring franchise-altering change for whatever team they coach.

There’s also been more of a shift towards teams being more aggressive in free agency and the draft to try and achieve success quicker.  During the press conference held by George Paton and Greg Penner the day after Nathaniel Hackett was fired, it was clear how disappointed both men were, and the sense of urgency could be felt from a mile away.

Why wait around?  The Broncos have a busy offseason ahead of them, and I think they fully understand what is at stake, so getting the head coach in place as soon as reasonably possible is the right way to go.

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