Sean Payton has been the head coach of the Denver Broncos since January 31st. Since he's been on the job, there has been plenty of speculation about what kind of staff he might bring in, considering the reports were that he was assembling an all-star cast behind the scenes. Here we are on Valentine's Day, though, and still wondering if Sean Payton has any "Be Mine?" invites hanging in the balance for his staff.
As he stated at the week of festivities in Arizona at Super Bowl LVII, Payton wants to be slow to hire, quick to fire. What he means by that is he wants to be deliberate about the hiring process and he's certainly been that. It's been two weeks since he's been hired as the head coach of the Broncos, and news of his staff should start trickling in rather soon.
Who will Sean Payton hire as Denver Broncos offensive coordinator?
1. Eric Studesville, Miami Dolphins
Eric Studesville is a name that should ring a bell for everyone in Broncos Country. Studesville was an assistant for the Denver Broncos initially way back on the staff of Josh McDaniels in 2010. He was named interim head coach late in that season when McDaniels was canned by the late Pat Bowlen for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that he was having someone film opponents' walkthroughs.
Also known as cheating.
Studesville took over as the interim head coach that year before John Fox ultimately came aboard in 2011. He remained on the staff through 2016, sticking around for not only the Josh McDaniels regime, but the John Fox regime and the Gary Kubiak regime.
If you go all the way back to 2001, Studesville has a history with Sean Payton as well. He was on the same staff with the New York Giants as Payton from 2001-2003, so those two have worked together a considerable amount. Studesville is a highly respected assistant coach and what everyone has to remember is this -- the offensive play caller will be Sean Payton.
Someone like Studesville could come in and really help with the team's running game concepts and serve as an associate head coach with a hand over the whole offense. A reunion in Denver could make some sense for Studesville this offseason.
2. David Shaw, former Stanford HC
It's no secret that Sean Payton is a big fan of David Shaw. These two were on the same staff together with the Philadelphia Eagles back in the late 90s, and Payton has maintained a high level of respect for Shaw as their paths have gone pretty vastly different directions. Shaw was most recently the head coach at Stanford, but he has extensive history coaching up the offensive side of the ball.
Just a couple of years ago, Sean Payton publicly advocated for Shaw to get a head coaching gig in the NFL and vouched for him. If becoming a head coach in the NFL is something Shaw has on his radar, it could make a lot of sense for him to get on Sean Payton's staff.
Shaw could be a passing game coordinator, quarterbacks coach, run game coordinator...He could do a lot more than just serve as the offensive coordinator in title. One of the top reasons why I felt like Shaw was an intriguing head coach candidate is the fact that he has such a history of player development at Stanford, especially when it comes to players in the trenches and at the QB position.
Shaw helped send a lot of players to the NFL, and we saw a number of those players go play for Sean Payton with the Saints as well. If we're talking about assembling an "all-star" staff, I think taking a shot on Shaw as your offensive coordinator could be fascinating.
3. Keenan McCardell, Vikings WR coach
Fellow 90s kids will remember Keenan McCardell as one of the better wide receivers in the NFL when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The connection between Mark Brunell and Keenan McCardell, along with players like Tony Boselli, Jimmy Smith, and Fred Taylor? Now that was 90s football in a nutshell right there.
As it turns out, McCardell is currently one of the best wide receiver coaches in the league. He's on staff with the Minnesota Vikings and Kevin O'Connell as their wide receivers coach, but he's been getting some looks and interviews for an offensive coordinator position. Considering how desperately the Broncos need help getting their receivers to the next level, and how awesome it would be to have a former player like McCardell in the OC spot, this fit could make a ton of sense.
If you bring in someone like McCardell as offensive coordinator, perhaps you would look to someone else as run game coordinator to help balance out the staff. At this point, anything is on the table because the only offensive hire we know about is the offensive line coach, former Saints starting tackle Zach Strief.
Bringing former players onto this staff is almost a non-negotiable in my eyes. We've seen how well that has worked -- so far -- for Dan Campbell in Detroit in rebuilding that culture. I think Sean Payton, who once hired Campbell himself, could adopt a similar hiring philosophy.
4. Mark Brunell, QB coach, Detroit Lions
Speaking of Dan Campbell's staff with the Detroit Lions, and speaking of Mark Brunell, how about considering the former Pro Bowl QB as an option to join the staff in Denver. As a player, Brunell was one of the best in the league. He played from 1994-2011 and his three Pro Bowl campaigns came in the late 90s when the Jaguars really established themselves as a threat in the AFC, including derailing some Super Bowl hopes of the Denver Broncos at one point in time.
Brunell is a Los Angeles, California native just like Denver Broncos GM George Paton. He was also on the New Orleans Saints roster from 2008-09 when -- you guessed it -- Sean Payton was the head coach of the team. He started coaching quarterbacks in Detroit in 2021 and is poised to enter his third season there, unless perhaps a team like the Denver Broncos comes calling.
Although he's not exactly a branch off the Sean Payton coaching tree, there is a clear tie there from his playing days where he won a Super Bowl as Drew Brees' backup with the Saints.
Again, having former players in the building is almost a non-negotiable for the Denver Broncos as they assemble this staff. Former players know how to relate best to players. Not that you need former players in every seat, but it seems like that trend has been very successful of late for NFL teams and we're seeing a lot of franchises catch the trend, like the Houston Texans hiring DeMeco Ryans in this cycle.
Brunell, if nothing else, might be a fascinating candidate to consider as a passing game coordinator if the Broncos can pry him away from the Lions, who have amazingly been able to keep their coaching staff mostly intact this offseason despite a lot of interest from other NFL teams.
5. Greg Lewis, RBs coach, Kansas City Chiefs
Keeping the theme of former players going, as well as keeping the ideas outside the box a little bit, another candidate to consider is former NFL wide receiver Greg Lewis.
Lewis is currently the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, where we've obviously seen a career resurgence for Jerick McKinnon as well as a breakthrough season for seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco. Those two players could be considered a product of the Chiefs' system, but then what's the excuse for Clyde Edwards-Helaire?
Lewis has been on the Kansas City staff since 2017 as an assistant, coaching the wide receivers from 2017-2020 before moving to the running back position. Before that, he crossed paths with Sean Payton for a year in 2015 as an offensive assistant.
In his playing days, he also crossed paths with -- you guessed it -- George Paton when he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings from 2009-2010. Those connections could come into play for someone like Lewis who has been getting groomed the last few years by Andy Reid, and could be ready for that next step in his NFL coaching career.
It wouldn't be the worst thing for the Broncos to poach from a team like Kansas City, and perhaps if they are considering names like Ronald Curry at offensive coordinator, then someone like Greg Lewis could pop up on the radar as well.