The Denver Broncos 2022 NFL season has been disastrous from an expectation versus reality standpoint. Despite failing to meet mile-high expectations this season, does blowing things up in 2023 make sense if the Broncos are ever hoping to get back on track?
Denver Broncos looking for continuity but may be a ways away from finding it
Ever since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos have been trying to find their way back to the post-season. Unfortunately, Denver won’t find their way back this year for the seventh consecutive season.
Since Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have taken the path of trying out first-year head coaches to carry on the tradition of being a winning franchise. However, there haven’t been as many wins for Denver. Combined with losing seasons, the Broncos have had a rotating door of head coaches and coordinators ranging from Vance Joseph, Bill Musgrave, and Joe Woods to Vic Fangio, Rich Scangarello, Pat Shurmur, Ed Donatell to Nathaniel Hackett, Justin Outten, and Ejiro Evero.
With another losing season under the belt of the franchise, one question looms as the Broncos close out their season three weeks from now. Will they fire Hackett and hire yet another coaching staff? Perhaps the problem isn’t necessarily first-year head coaches, but more so the process of allowing first-year head coaches the chance to grow and learn.
In the NFL, so many factors contribute to whether a team is successful or not. Coaching is one of them, but personnel, environment, and external circumstances like injuries all make up part of the product.
Let’s take a look at Hackett’s first season as head coach. He was brought in to revolutionize a Broncos offense that had been one of the NFL’s worst prior to him. Instead, the offense has been historically worse than it was under Shurmur, but Hackett has made some changes that deserve some consideration.
Perhaps the biggest change Hackett has made was giving up playcalling responsibilities to Klint Kubiak. The change came later than most in Broncos Country had hoped for, but there are bits and pieces within a small sample size that suggest the offense has made some improvements, but is it enough to justify Hackett returning in 2023?
If you ask Broncos fans what their preference is, a large portion would say that Denver needs to move on and find somebody else. However, it’s important to ponder what things may be like if the Broncos do give Hackett another shot. Many outsiders believe Hackett has lost players in the locker room, but this isn’t true based on multiple conversations had with multiple players. Hackett’s coaching style is something players respect and appreciate.
Contrary to many narratives that portray otherwise, Hackett knows when to flip the switch when on the football field despite his friendly demeanor towards his players. He’s a coach who cares about them on and off the field and that is something that deserves to be highlighted, but he also holds himself accountable in front of players.
Perhaps the trade for Russell Wilson skewed the perception of having an inexperienced coaching staff taking over. For general manager George Paton, it’s a risk he was willing to take, knowing he’ll rightfully earn criticism for the decision. However, where criticism will grow stronger for him is if he moves on from a first-year head coach after his first season knowing that there would be growing pains along the way.
Nobody in the universe expected the Broncos offense to struggle as badly as they have this season. In a world of instant gratification, Broncos fans deservedly want to see offensive progress from a unit that has struggled for eight years to put up points. But who is to say that changing the coaching staff again won’t set them back even further, having to learn an entirely new offense… again. Continuity?
Injuries to core offensive players like Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick, Garett Bolles, KJ Hamler, and others on offense deserve consideration regarding Hackett’s future with the team. Denver’s first-year head coach has been far from perfect, but he’s also had the opportunity to learn a lot about himself along the way through this frustrating season.
The Walton-Penner family ownership group has been closely observing every element of how this season has gone for the Broncos. They’ll consider every option before making a decision regarding Hackett’s future with the team. CEO Greg Penner has been very involved with the day-to-day operations of the Broncos alongside Team President Damani Leech and Paton. Denver’s ownership group was not in place prior to Hackett being hired, which gives them the easier choice to move forward and hire their own candidate of choice.
While many in Broncos Country want Denver to dismiss Hackett immediately, it’s important to look at the other side of the coin as well. It’s hard to find continuity if the structural operations of the team continue to change year after year, something that has been a consistent process for the Broncos since they won the Super Bowl during the 2015-2016 season. If Hackett gets another year, he may be asked to make a multitude of changes regarding personnel and staff.
What do they say about the definition of insanity?