The Denver Broncos came into this season as a dark horse Super Bowl pick after acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson, but a disappointing campaign has left them well short of the playoffs and cost a former Buffalo Bills coach his job.
The Broncos announced on December 26 that head coach Nathaniel Hackett had been fired, one day after the team lost 51-14 to the Los Angeles Rams. Hackett, a former offensive coordinator with the Bills, was in his first year as a head coach but now will not make it to the end of the season.
Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner announced the decision in a statement released Monday.
“Following extensive conversations with [GM George Paton] and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos. This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.”
Hackett Out in Denver
Though the Broncos have the league’s No. 7 ranked defense, giving up 20.3 points per game, they have struggled on offense as Wilson is in the midst of the worst season of his career. The veteran quarterback has 3,019 passing yards with 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, a disappointing campaign after the Broncos gave the Seattle Seahawks a massive trade package to land him in the offseason.
The Broncos sank to a season-low against the Rams, with backup quarterback Brett Rypien and guard Dalton Risner getting into a shoving match on the sidelines during the blowout loss.
“Do something, Brett! Do something!”
After the game, Risner told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis that it was due to a misunderstanding.
“He let our offensive line know that we need to pick up Russell Wilson when he goes down,” Risner said. “And it’s the middle of the game, it’s heated. I didn’t really hear what he said. I thought he was talking about us giving up sacks.”
Tale of Two Former Bills Coaches
Hackett had a short and relatively forgettable tenure with the Bills, joining head coach Doug Marrone’s coaching staff in 2013 and failed to get much out of the Bills’ offense in his two seasons in Buffalo. The Bills ranked 19th and 26th in total yards during his two seasons there, with the team falling short of the playoffs in both years.
Another former Bills assistant coach is having a much better time in his first season as a head coach. The New York Giants tapped Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be their head coach before this season, and he has led them to within one win of what would be the team’s first playoff berth since 2016.
Daboll has earned buzz as a top candidate for the AP Coach of the Year award, and was already named Coach of the Year by Pro Football Network in their midseason awards. The publication gave credit to Daboll and former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen for turning around the franchise.
“The Giants looked to be embarking on a total reset this season. With Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen running things, New York was prepared to suffer through a dismal 2022 campaign with the hope things would improve in future years,” the outlet noted.
“But Daboll has made the most of a depleted Giants roster. Big Blue is 6-2 and on track for the playoffs, which no one could have predicted before the season began.”
Ex-Bills Coach Fired by Broncos After Ugly Blowout Loss