Two Broncos coaches at risk to be poached by other NFL teams
By Jack Ramsey
The Denver Broncos, for seemingly the first time in forever, had competent coaching in 2023. The Broncos staff, led by Sean Payton, performed to a much higher level than some could have ever imagined. The Broncos have had some coaches in discussions to be hired upwards in recent years, most notably defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero following the 2022 season.
However, the Broncos might have a few coaches this year who get named in defensive and offensive coordinator searches. Let's take a look at two assistant coaches who could be hired upwards from the Broncos this spring.
1) Quarterbacks Coach Davis Webb
In his young coaching career, Davis Webb has been on staff for some incredibly solid years from quarterbacks who were otherwise struggling. Webb was said to have been a vocal mentor for Daniel Jones during his best season as a Giant in 2022, the year that Jones led the Giants back to the playoffs and began to reach his full potential as the Giants signal caller. Webb, who had previously expressed interest in coaching before, got his first crack at wearing a headset in Denver this past year. It would be an understatement to call Webb's first season as a coach a success.
Webb helped oversee Russell Wilson's resurgent 2023 campaign, a campaign that launched the Broncos into the AFC playoff conversation, a playoff hunt that they remained alive in until week 17. Webb could become a hot name in offensive coordinator searches quickly, but it might serve him well to remain under the wings of Sean Payton for another season or two.
Webb's biggest test as a quarterbacks coach will come in 2024, when the Broncos will again have playoff aspirations, but will be rolling with a cheap veteran or rookie quarterback. If Webb can author another quarterback success story, he could become a hot name in the 2025 coaching cycle. Until then, it will be interesting to see if Webb's name comes up in coordinator searches this spring as head coaching jobs will soon begin to come off the board.
2) Defensive Backs Coach Christian Parker
It feels as though Christian Parker has been on these types of lists for a few years. Parker, the Broncos' defensive backs coach, turned in another strong and successful season in 2023. After the Broncos were torched by the Dolphins and Jets, the Broncos made significant changes in the secondary. They plugged in corners Fabian Moreau and Ja'Quan McMillian and saw Kareem Jackson be replaced by PJ Locke, three moves that paid major dividends for the Broncos. On top of that, Parker oversaw an All-Pro season from Patrick Surtain II.
Parker has been in Denver for three seasons now, working on three different defensive staffs. His production as a coach and the overall play of Broncos defensive backs has remained strong, and as Parker gains more and more experience under a more experienced defensive staff, he could become a prime name for defensive coordinator searches as head coaching vacancies begin to be filled.
Parker is still incredibly young for the experience he has, considering that he is just 32 and is entering his sixth season as an NFL coach. Parker has been a coaching stud for the Broncos, and figures to get a long look this spring from other NFL franchises for any coordinator openings that could come up, similar to Joe Woods a handful of years ago.