The Denver Broncos certainly aren’t going to regret letting go of Nathaniel Hackett anytime soon, not with the way things ended in 2022. But for all of the negatives that came along with the 2022 season, it wasn’t all bad in Denver during Hackett’s short time with the team.
He gets pretty heavily criticized for bringing along a lot of his “buddies” to be on the Broncos’ coaching staff last year, but part of that group included maybe the best coach on the team and one of the most desired assistants in the league.
Hackett’s departure (he’s now the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets) could also mean the departure of some key people in the Denver Broncos’ organization from this last year, which could certainly have a ripple effect. Let’s take a look at some key losses that could come now that Hackett has been let go and Sean Payton has been brought in.
Broncos could lose key people after firing Nathaniel Hackett
1. Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator
If you’ve not been reading the tea leaves lately, it really feels like defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has one foot out the door of the Denver Broncos organization.
Evero is Nathaniel Hackett’s best pal and not just in terms of football. These guys are the best men at each other’s wedding kind of friends. They are such good friends that their friendship and the respect Evero has for Hackett was part of the reason why he decided not to take the interim head coach title when Hackett was fired following the team’s embarrassing loss to the Rams on Christmas.
Evero came over to the Broncos from the Rams’ staff where he coached defensive backs. He had the Denver Broncos’ defense looking outstanding for most of the 2022 season and they turned up the turnovers late in the year. He’s been one of the most coveted coaches in this cycle, getting interview requests from every team with a head coach opening and even some requests for a lateral move like from Atlanta.
The Vikings, whose head coach Kevin O’Connell was on the same staff as Evero in Los Angeles, also want Evero for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
Dominoes will start falling once everyone knows where Vic Fangio is going to land, but it feels like the Broncos might lose Evero one way or the other because he may not want to work in Denver anymore after the firing of Hackett, even if the Broncos want him back under Payton.