5 former Broncos miserably failing with their new teams in 2023

The Denver Broncos are only 3-5 right now, so players or coaches who left the team or were fired, or just plain let go, may not all be regretting it at the moment. It was certainly momentous for the Broncos to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, and the team winning two straight certainly feels good, but the Broncos are not yet where they need to be.

With that being said, the current state of the Denver Broncos doesn't mean we can't objectively evaluate the performances of some of those who have moved on to other organizations at this point. And some who left the Denver Broncos are downright failing with their new teams.

Let's take a look at some of the names struggling the most.

5 former Denver Broncos failing with their new teams in 2023

1. Nathaniel Hackett (Jets OC)

Yes, Nathaniel Hackett had the last laugh a handful of weeks ago as the New York Jets came into Denver and got a very emotional win against the Broncos. Nathaniel Hackett was the team's head coach last season and ended up getting fired in a pretty unceremonious way, joining a very short list of first-year head coaches not to make it through their first year on the job.

As if that wasn't enough, Hackett was then publicly called out by current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who called the coaching job in Denver last year one of the worst in history.

Well, things aren't going much better this year in New York for Hackett. Although the Jets got a win against Denver back in Week 5, the Jets have been anemic offensively yet again this year. I wish I were joking about this, but the Jets are averaging right around 16 points per game this season, which ranks 30th in the NFL. They are among the NFL's three worst teams in yards, time of possession, points scored, and they rank dead-last in 3rd down efficiency and red zone efficiency.

I realize Aaron Rodgers isn't playing, but those number are unacceptable.

2. Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC)

Let's talk about a coach who left the Denver Broncos and is finding out that the grass isn't exactly greener on the other side.

Ejiro Evero was outstanding in his first year as a defensive coordinator last year with the Denver Broncos. The team ranked 14th in the league in points allowed, but they were a top-10 run defense despite a ton of injuries on that side of the ball, and they were 5th in the NFL in passing touchdowns allowed.

Most impressively, the Broncos were 2nd in the NFL last season in 3rd down efficiency on defense and 7th in red zone efficiency. The offense was consistently putting the defense in bad positions, but the defense kept them in a lot of one-score games that could have gone either way despite the offensive incompetence.

Evero was offered the chance to take over as the Broncos' interim head coach, but declined out of respect for Nathaniel Hackett. He was then interviewed for the official head coaching job, but the Broncos went with Sean Payton. Payton then offered Evero to stay on his staff in Denver as defensive coordinator, but Evero requested to be let go, and that request was granted.

He's now the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator where the Panthers rank 29th in scoring defense, 31st in turnovers forced, 28th against the run, and dead last in red zone efficiency.

3. Dre'Mont Jones (Seahawks DL)

I think it's a little unfair to say that Dre'Mont Jones has "failed miserably" with the Seattle Seahawks. That's probably over the top. But I do want to include him in this category because things don't seem to be going too well for Dre'Mont out there in Seattle.

Dre'Mont Jones has been pretty vocal about his time in Denver not being the greatest experience. He obviously got paid a good amount of money to sign with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, and you can't blame him for that. Seattle had reportedly wanted Jones to be coming back in the Russell Wilson trade last year, but the Broncos convinced them to take Shelby Harris instead.

In the end, the Seahawks got him anyway.

Jones is having a solid season so far, on pace to set a career-best in QB hits, but things have obviously not been flawless, not that they were expected to. What's really interesting, though?

The Seahawks, at the NFL trade deadline, went out and spent a 2nd and 5th round pick to acquire New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams. You obviously need more than one good defensive lineman, but with the money spent on Dre'Mont Jones, you've got to wonder why Seattle felt the need to go and do that.

4. Billy Turner (Jets OT)

Make no mistake about it, Billy Turner has been on Broncos Country's hit list for some time now after the way he clapped back at head coach Sean Payton for his comments directed toward Nathaniel Hackett.

Everyone knows that Billy Turner is loyal to Nathaniel Hackett at this point. The two have been together since 2019 whether we're talking as members of the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, and now the New York Jets.

Turner made it clear that he felt Sean Payton must not have realized the kind of mess he was getting himself into when he came to Denver, and that's why he directed blame at last year's coaching staff. Let's get a look at how well things are going these days for Billy Turner...

It's great that you've got your friend's back, Billy. Unfortunately, you've not only got to come to bat for your pal but you've also got to bring the heat on the field as well. And this is not that.

Turner didn't like the way Sean Payton called out Nathaniel Hackett, but also called Sean Payton a "F***ing Bum". What goes around comes around.

5. DeMarcus Walker (Bears DL)

The Denver Broncos made DeMarcus Walker a second-round pick back in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the team suffered a variety of injuries off the edge in the 2017 offseason, and one of the weirdest personnel decisions of the last decade was made.

Walker, who was an outstanding interior defensive lineman in his time at Florida State, was moved from the defensive line to the edge.

It was a decision made by Vance Joseph and his coaching staff that didn't work out at all. Thankfully, the Broncos would move Walker back to the defensive line eventually, and he ended up putting up some decent numbers in Denver, getting a couple of opportunities with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

Walker was tremendous last year with the Titans, racking up a career-best 7.0 sacks and 16 QB hits. As always, he did so with a pretty limited number of snaps overall. The performance by Walker in 2022 impressed Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles, who handed Walker a three-year deal worth $21 million in total money. That contract is really not bad overall, but the Bears obviously expected Walker to make a huge impact as a pass rusher.

He's got 10 pressures, five QB hits, and 1.5 sacks so far in the Bears' first 10 games this season. It's not exactly production that's lighting the league on fire. It's really not even good enough production to justify that contract. Walker hasn't followed up that performance from last season very well so far in Chicago and this free agent signing is drawing some scathing reviews from Chicago Bears fans.