The Broncos shouldn’t ignore first-time head coaches in next search
Dec 26, 2022, 12:26 PM
On Monday, the inevitable happened. Nathaniel Hackett was fired by the Broncos, just 15 games into his stint as the team’s head coach. On the heels on an embarrassing 51-14 loss on Christmas Day, a defeat that dropped Denver to 4-11 on the season, the news didn’t come as a shock to anyone.
Now, attention will turn to the next step. Not who will be the interim head coach for the team’s final two games, as that’s meaningless and inconsequential. Instead, it’ll be all about who replaces Hackett on a permanent basis. The discussion will focus on who should be the next head coach of the Broncos.
Some names have already started to surface. All of those candidates have one thing in common; they’ve been a head coach in the NFL before.
To some extent, the Broncos looking for someone with experience makes sense. After all, their last three hires were all first-time head coaches, each of whom was a disaster. On the other side of the coin, the last two times they’ve hired someone with previous experience, John Fox and Gary Kubiak, they enjoyed success.
So it’s natural to see this as a pattern. It’s understandable to look at this as a sign of how to handle the next hire.
But that would be a mistake. The Broncos shouldn’t limit their pool of candidates because Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio and Hackett were bad hires.
DeMeco Ryans should definitely be considered. He’s done a great job with the 49ers defense and would bring a no-nonsense, physical approach to Denver. Both of those things are needed.
Ben Johnson should also be interviewed. What he’s done in Detroit, specifically with quarterback Jared Goff, has been nothing short of miraculous. The Broncos have a QB that needs to be fixed, as well.
Denver should certainly pursue and consider Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton, Dan Quinn and Frank Reich. They’re good/great coaches who’ve had a lot of success in the NFL. If somehow Bill Belichick, Sean McVay or Mike Tomlin wound up available at season’s end, they’d be at the top of the list, too.
But they shouldn’t limit themselves to just that group. One look at the current NFL standings shows why that would be a mistake.
Of the seven teams currently in the playoffs in the AFC, five of them are coached by first-time head coaches. Only Andy Reid and Doug Pederson had previous experience. Sean McDermott, Zac Taylor, John Harbaugh, Brandon Staley and Mike McDaniel were all newbies when they got their current gig.
The NFC is similar. In that conference, four of the seven current playoff teams are led by first-time head coaches. Todd Bowles, Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera had previous stops, but Nick Sirianni, Kevin O’Connell, Kyle Shanahan and Brian Daboll are all on their first stop.
Two of the most-successful coaches in recent years are also first-timers. Sean McVay won a Super Bowl with the Rams last year and Matt LaFleur racked up 39 wins in his first three seasons with the Packers. Neither had been a head coach prior to getting their current job.
In other words, first-time head coaches can be successful. They can be very successful.
So to eliminate anyone that falls into that category would be silly and short-sighted. It would be connecting dots that shouldn’t be connected.
To miss out on the next McVay or Shanahan would be a huge miss. To pass on the next O’Connell, McDaniel or Daboll would be irresponsible.
The Broncos have been burned by first-time head coaches in the past. But that can’t affect their thinking this time around.
They need to hire the best coach. Period. If he has or hasn’t been a head coach in the NFL before shouldn’t factor into the equation.
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