(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After being hired to be the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Sean Payton has begun to assemble his coaching staff.
The team has several candidates in mind for its defensive coordinator position, and according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, it has added an interesting new candidate: Matt Patricia.
The #Broncos spent today with an intriguing candidate for their vacant defense coordinator job: Matt Patricia. Sources tell me and @TomPelissero the former #Patriots assistant is in Denver speaking with Sean Payton today. Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph are also top candidates.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2023
Patricia is best known for being the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017, and during that tenure, he won two Super Bowls.
Prior to that role, he had worked his way up in head coach Bill Belichick’s staff starting in 2004 when he was hired to be his offensive coaching assistant.
As a defensive coordinator, Patricia helped New England finish first in points allowed in 2016, the year it overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons for the world championship.
From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Detroit Lions’ head coach, after which he returned to the Patriots.
Lost in the criticism of the Broncos’ historically poor offense in 2022 was the fact that their defense wasn’t bad, as they finished seventh in total yards allowed and fifth in passing touchdowns allowed.
Still, if quarterback Russell Wilson continues to look like a shell of his former shelf, the team will have to win games primarily with defense.
It was dead-last in points scored in 2022 and failed to reach 20 points in a whopping 11 games.
There seems to be a trickle of optimism surrounding Denver these days thanks to Payton’s arrival, but in the end, it will be up to its players to improve on its 5-12 finish.
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