One Broncos candidate has the potential to be “the one that got away”

Much like Kyle Shanahan in 2017, the Broncos interviewed the right guy for their open job; but this time around, they need to hire him

BY JAMES MERILATT

Jan 24, 2022, 3:15 PM Updated: Jan 25, 2022, 6:45 am

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The Broncos have narrowed their list of candidates to replace Vic Fangio down to three. After interviewing 10 potential head coaches in round one of their process, Nathaniel Hackett, Kevin O’Connell and Dan Quinn remain standing, with Jonathan Gannon perhaps in the background as a potential fallback plan if the Denver misses out on their top three choices.

It’s a good list. All three are legit candidates. All three would be a vast improvement over Fangio. All three are qualified for the job.

But only one has the potential of becoming “the one who got away.” Only one could develop into the Kyle Shanahan from the 2022 coaching search.

Back in 2017, the Broncos were also going through this process. They had two main candidates for the job – Shanahan and Vance Joseph.

Denver interviewed both in early January of that year. Shanahan went first, meeting the with the Broncos in Atlanta on Jan. 7 while he and his Falcons prepared for a playoff run that would ultimately end in Super Bowl loss. Joseph went second, visiting Denver on Jan. 10 for an in-person interview.

On Jan. 11, it was announced that VJ would be getting on the job. Four days later, he was formally introduced as the team’s head coach.

Meanwhile, Shanahan didn’t get hired until nearly four weeks later. He was introduced as the 49ers head coach on Feb. 6, one day after the Super Bowl.

Denver couldn’t wait to make their hire. San Francisco could.

One team is now looking for their third head coach in six years. The other is preparing for a game that could see them reach their second Super Bowl in the last three seasons.

The Broncos are in a similar spot right now. Hackett is available now, since the Packers lost on Saturday to the 49ers. Quinn is also ready, willing and able, as his Cowboys lost last weekend, also to the Niners. O’Connell, on the other hand, is still busy with his current job, as his Rams get ready for this weekend’s NFC title game against, yep, the 49ers.

According to reports, Shanahan wowed the Broncos during his interview with the team in 2017. Yet, they still didn’t hire him.

Maybe that was because they didn’t want to force him to work in the shadow of his father, as Mike Shanahan won back-to-back Super Bowls with the franchise in 1997 and ’98. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they had their sights set on Joseph, a coach they interviewed in 2017, as well, and were high on. Or it could’ve been because they simply didn’t want to wait; Denver went with the coach who was immediately available.

Whatever the reason, the Broncos can’t afford to make the same mistake twice. If O’Connell dazzled them during his interview, which he must’ve since he’s still on the list despite not being hire-ready at the moment, then George Paton should wait. He shouldn’t rush things.

Denver is making a decision that could and should impact the next 10 years. By contrast, the next week or two are inconsequential.

O’Connell can still assemble his staff in late January or early February. It doesn’t matter if he misses this week’s Shrine Game. Those are minor issues.

The big thing is hiring the right guy. And O’Connell is the one.

There’s a reason why Brandon Staley wanted to hire him to become the Chargers offensive coordinator when he was named the head coach in Los Angeles. And there’s a reason why Sean McVay blocked O’Connell from leaving for the team that shares SoFi Stadium with the Rams.

Those are two pretty big endorsements. They speak volumes.

Quinn is a good football coach. He’d do a nice job in Denver, as he would with any of the other teams currently interviewing him.

Hackett is also a good coach. The variety of offenses he’s led from Jacksonville to Buffalo to Green Bay would bring new thinking to that side of the ball in the Mile High City.

But it’s hard to imagine them going elsewhere and turning into a regret for the Broncos. If Quinn goes to the Giants and Hackett goes to the Jaguars, just for the sake of argument, it’s unlikely that Denver will kick themselves for either coach getting away.

O’Connell is the one who will fall into that category, however. He’ll turn into the 2022 version of Kyle Shanahan, the head coach candidate that the Broncos interviewed but failed to hire, a decision they regret to this day.

Quinn or Hackett would be fine hires. O’Connell would be a great one.

It’s time the Broncos started shooting for greatness once again. They’ve settled the last two times around with head coach hires. They can’t make that mistake with this one.