Report: Broncos Request Permission to Interview Brian Flores
While Sean Payton has yet to officially be announced as the Denver Broncos' new head coach, the team is moving forward with putting together the staff surrounding him.
It was announced on Thursday that Vic Fangio would be signing a contract with the Miami Dolphins to coordinate their defense. Things might have been awkward for Fangio in a return to Denver, given he was fired from the gig and the power dynamics coming back to be a secondary character in a place you used to be one of the guys.
Plus, there were the reported uneasy relationships between Vic and the players. Another candidate of possibility for Denver’s defensive coordinator was the coach who already has the title, Ejiro Evero.
Payton and Evero did meet on Thursday, and he would appear to be an excellent fit to return to Denver (if Evero wants to stay). Friday morning, however, breaking news arrived via Ian Rapoport that the Broncos have put in a request to speak with Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores for the team’s defensive coordinator position.
"The Broncos have requested to interview with Steelers LBs coach and senior defensive assistant Brian Flores for their defensive coordinator position under Sean Payton, source said," Rapoport wrote on Twitter.
Coming up through the New England Patriots coaching staff, Flores was considered one of the brightest up-and-coming defensive minds in football, with a personality that players respected. After 11 seasons climbing the coaching ladder in New England, Flores was hired to be the head coach of the Dolphins back in 2019.
Flores was able to turn around an abysmal Dolphins defense that ranked dead last in defensive DVOA and EPA/Play, elevating them to the 11th-ranked defensive DVOA and seventh-ranked EPA/Play in 2020, and the 10th-ranked defensive DVOA and 8th-ranked EPA/Play in 2021.
The Dolphins finished 24-25 under Flores, but the firing did still come as a surprise and potentially due to some power dynamics within the Dolphins’ organization. After Flores’ firing, it was reported that the Dolphins attempted to pursue Payton to be their head coach.
Due to the Dolphins contacting Payton (and Tom Brady) without their team’s permission, the NFL made Miami forfeit their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-rounder, along with a fine of $1.5 million to the team’s owner Stephen Ross.
The elephant in the room is Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and a few teams, including the Broncos, in which the lawsuit claims he faced racial discrimination by the teams and league. In the lawsuit, Flores claims that the Broncos were exceedingly unprofessional in their interview with him, stating the interview group showed up late and that many of them, including then-GM John Elway, showed up hungover for the interview.
The lawsuit was announced just over a year ago, and things have changed dramatically in Denver. With another new coaching staff in place, a new general manager, and new ownership, perhaps things have changed enough with the power players in Denver that the lawsuit would not impact Payton's ability to bring in Flores as defensive coordinator. The requested interview does seem to hint that Evero will not be back in Denver, but all will be known in due time.
When it comes to scheme, Flores has run a 3-4 scheme during his time calling plays. In contrast to current NFL trends, he played a high rate of cover 0 and cover 1 looks on the back end, playing fewer bodies deep with help against the big play in favor of blitz looks and aggression towards the quarterback in the front seven.
If Flores would be as aggressive as he was in Miami remains to be seen, but in his career to date, he certainly has shown he loves to blitz. With Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons helping cover the vulnerable secondary in such cover 1 looks, perhaps it would be an interesting fit in Denver.
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