The move that was predicted by some has now come to fruition. The Denver Broncos officially announced the hiring of Jack Del Rio as the new defensive coordinator after Dennis Allen left the position after one year to become the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
For Del Rio, it’s a nice place to land with a strong defense anchored by a great pass rush after losing his gig as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a no win situation for Del Rio in Jacksonville last year, so it’s likely he will get some head coaching interviews if he can keep the defensive stats in Denver high up in the league-wide rankings. From the official NFL release:
Del Rio is the Broncos’ fifth coordinator in five seasons. He also has a strong relationship with Broncos coach John Fox, having served as Fox’s defensive coordinator in 2002, when he was head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
“We are thrilled to be able to add such a well-respected defensive coach to our staff,” Fox said. “He was an integral part of our turnaround on defense during my first year with the Panthers in 2002. His defenses with the Jaguars have ranked among the NFL’s best, and we are excited he’s a Bronco.”