3 names who could become Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator in 2023
By Jack Ramsey
Christian Parker could be promoted on Sean Payton’s staff
Who doesn’t want the internal guy, yeah? Christian Parker is viewed as one of the brightest and most projectable coaches in football, and it is only a matter of time until he lands a defensive coordinator role. So why not in Denver?
Parker is just thirty-one, but his work experience is extensive already. He served as the defensive backs coach for multiple college teams, including Virginia State and Norfolk state, and then went on to be a defensive analyst for two major FBS teams, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Aggies of Texas A&M.
He then went on to be a defensive assistant for the Packers, a role in which he, according to the Broncos’ website, worked “with a focus on coaching the secondary in addition to breaking down opponent game film and analyzing their offensive tendencies, developing the playbook, compiling team and player reports and coordinating the opponent scout team.”
Parker would be the most aggressive and adventitious hire, but if he were to follow Ejiro Evero to Carolina, which one Broncos assistant already has, this might be the only way to keep the talented Parker in town. The logical next step for him would be to move to defensive coordinator, and that move might not be too far off. He helped Patrick Surtain II become one of, if not the, best corners in football, Damarri Mathis become a legitimate second corner in just his rookie year, Justin Simmons have a dominant 2022, and the Broncos secondary as a whole have another strong year.
The successes are there, and the next step for him is obvious. So why not keep him around and put some faith in the internal guy?