FRIDAY FACEOFF: Who is the most important hire on Sean Payton’s Broncos coaching staff? 

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

The Broncos need to keep their defense together and it starts with the defensive coordinator. And that starts with new coach Sean Payton keeping Ejiro Evero on his staff.

Evero is a rising star in football. He interviewed for every open coaching job in the NFL. While it looks like he won’t land a head coaching job, it still says a lot about Evero’s reputation. 

For most of the season the Broncos defense was the star. It kept Denver in games while the offense sputtered. The Broncos gave up only 21.1 points per game, which should be good enough in today’s NFL when paired with a competent offense. 

With an ESPN report Thursday that former Broncos coach Vic Fangio will be the defensive coordinator in Miami, retaining Evero becomes even more important to Payton and the Broncos.

“He’s one of the best leaders I have been around,” safety Justin Simmons said Dec. 29.

That’s high praise from one of the Broncos’ best players. 

There could be hard feelings as Evero is very close to fired coach Nathaniel Hackett. Evero also has an interview with the Vikings to be their defensive coordinator. Evero has other options.

But if Payton wants the Broncos to remain strong on defense, convincing Evero to stick around would be a huge step in the right direction.   

George Stoia, Broncos beat writer

While Chris is right that keeping Evero should be a priority for Payton, the Broncos have one specific unit that must improve next season: offensive line. 

Payton is known for having great offensive lines during his time in New Orleans. It’s a large reason why the Saints finished in the top 10 in scoring offense 12 of his 15 seasons there. And one of the biggest reasons why the Broncos finished last in scoring offense last season is because of poor play on the offensive line.

That’s why Payton should hire Denver-area resident and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak as the offensive line coach. Munchak served as Denver’s O-line coach from 2019-2021. While it wasn’t perfect, it was clear the Broncos’ young talent was developing. Left tackle Garett Bolles had his best seasons under Munchak’s direction. 

Bringing Munchak back to Dove Valley, while also restructuring the line, could make Payton’s offense churn in his first season. And while many believe Payton can and will “fix” quarterback Russell Wilson, the first step in doing that is protecting him. The Broncos led the league in sacks allowed this season with 63.

Under Munchak’s leadership, the Broncos never allowed more than 40. That’s what Payton and the Broncos need.