Broncos' HC Job Opening Ranked by ESPN
Among seven NFL teams that either have or are expected to have a head-coaching vacancy, ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranked the Denver Broncos as the sixth-best job opening. Barnwell pointed to Denver's "young talent" and a "possible solution at quarterback" as pros to the job, while surmising that the team's lack of immediate draft capital and an albatross of a quarterback contract are cons.
The $104 million question the Broncos have for any potential coach: Can you please fix Russell Wilson? Wilson's breathtaking fall from grace culminated on national television in a blowout loss to the Rams, which inspired scuffles on the Broncos' sideline and the end of the Nathaniel Hackett era in Denver. Hackett became the first coach to be fired before the end of his debut season with a team for on-field cause since Pete McCulley in 1978.
Indeed. While GM George Paton was reluctant to admit that the Broncos' next head coach would have to be a guy who could fix Wilson, he also admitted the team's belief that the veteran QB is "fixable."
A few candidates check that particular box. Barnwell goes on:
So, if someone's taking this job, they know they have to get Wilson back on track. For some coaches, that will be a non-starter. For others, it will be an opportunity. As I wrote about earlier this month, Wilson was still great as recently as last December. Quarterbacks who have declined as suddenly as Wilson did this season have improved, although it's no guarantee. This will be a self-fulfilling prophecy: The coaches the Broncos will interview will tell them what they want to hear, so anyone who takes this job is going to think they can fix Wilson. Absent any alternatives, general manager George Paton and the front office will have no choice but to believe they can pull it off.
The Broncos are stuck between a rock and a hard place with few options but to hope and pray that the next head coach can actually turn the Wilson ship around. Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are Denver's top-two candidates for a reason: they have fix-the-quarterback skins already hanging on the wall, especially the former.
Barnwell summarized why there's only one NFL job opening less attractive than Denver's.
This is a very different sort of job than the other ones available this offseason. The Texans need someone to build them a house. The Broncos need to someone to put out a house that's on fire. The firefighter the Broncos hire and what they do to salvage Wilson will be one of the most fascinating stories of next season.
Barnwell is glossing over how much the Broncos' 2022 season was torpedoed by injuries. While there was plenty of incompetence being displayed at both the coach and player level, the sheer number of studs the Broncos will get back off injured reserve in 2023 is actually quite staggering.
Throw in the compensation package the Walton/Penner ownership group has the means to offer and the Broncos' vacancy is a lot more attractive than Barnwell is giving credit for.
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