3 rumored names who fit Sean Payton's staff best on defense
By Jack Ramsey
With Sean Payton's tenure as Broncos head coach officially underway, rumors as to who will fill out his staff have become abundant. Most of the rumors have come on the defensive front, however, where there have been no reported additions yet. With several names being thrown out there, it can be hard to decipher who would or would not be a good addition to the staff. Here are three rumored coaches for the Broncos who make a ton of sense for Payton's staff.
Sean Payton DC candidate no. 1: Rex Ryan
Ryan is a rumored candidate for the position of defensive coordinator under Sean Payton, and one could argue that he'd be the best man for the position. Some have gone as far as to even tab him as the favorite for the gig, despite not being a coordinator since 2008 and being a TV analyst for several years now. So why does he make sense? Ryan would offer Payton the ability to entrust the defense entirely to his coordinator and be able to focus all his efforts on working with the offense and Russell Wilson. This would be vital to the health of the 2023 team, and the overall pressure levels on Sean Payton and his ability to turn the 2023 Broncos around.
Ryan would bring the ability of being an CEO of the defense, meaning that he should be able to run plays, manage personnel, and basically everything else that occurs on the defensive side of the ball. Now I get it, isn't that the job of every defensive coordinator? In short yes, but the short answer does no justice. A key for the Broncos in 2023 will be an offensive turnaround, which would likely require a ton, if not all, of Sean Payton's attention. Having someone with the coordinating experience of Ryan, let alone the success he had, and the head coaching experience, will likely give the Broncos a leg up on the offense.
It all intertwines and works together, and Rex Ryan could become an important cog in that. His experience at the top of the coaching ranks in the game would give the Broncos a unique advantage, and unless he absolutely kills it as a defensive coordinator and finds a new head coaching gig that works for him, there's reason to believe that he could stick around for a while; running the Broncos defense for years to come.