The Denver Broncos’ new ownership group having this much patience with coach Nathaniel Hackett seems to suggest that the coach won’t be fired until the end of the season (if he is fired after Year 1).
If the Broncos do fire Hackett during the season, though, here are five interim candidates who could take his place to finish out the 2022 campaign.
5. Klint Kubiak
He took over play-calling when Hackett was struggling and he’s the son of Broncos Super Bowl 50-winning coach Gary Kubiak. The younger Kubiak has nine years of experience in the NFL, including one season as an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings last year.
4. Justin Outten
Outten is the team’s offensive coordinator so one would think he’d be an interim coach candidate. The fact that he is Hacket’s right-hand man on offense doesn’t reflect well on Outten, though, nor does the fact that Kubiak was picked over him to call plays. He’d be a long-shot candidate.
3. Tyrone Wheatley
He has five years of experience in the NFL and 10 years of experience in college, including a tenure as head coach at Morgan State. Wheatley is an accomplished running backs coach who has helped the Broncos get the most out of a disheveled backfield this season.
2. Dom Capers
Capers would be one of the most logical interim candidates because he has the most experience (36 years) of anyone on Denver’s staff, and finishing the season poorly wouldn’t derail his coaching career which is nearing an end. The veteran Capers might be able to help the Broncos right the ship.
1. Ejiro Evero
The only drawback to making Evero the interim coach would be making him more associated with the overall struggles of the Broncos this season. The defensive coordinator has Denver’s defense playing well and he’s already believed to be a future head coach candidate, perhaps as early as 2023. But if he takes over interim duties for the Broncos and the team ends the season on a poor note, that might setback his progress moving up the coaching ranks.
If Denver’s ownership group decides to make Evero an interim coach, it would presumably be with the understanding that he would also be a top candidate for the full-time job beginning next year.
Right now, it seems more likely than not that Hackett won’t be fired during the season, but if he is, Denver does have several in-house candidates who could take over until the season’s end.
