Tag: Christian Parker

Broncos wish Christian Parker well as he exits team

Broncos coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton gave Christian Parker glowing reviews when he left the club to reunite with Vic Fangio.

Before what ended up being his final season with the Denver Broncos, Vic Fangio hired Christian Parker as the club’s defensive backs coach in 2021.

Fangio was fired after that season and the team’s next coach, Nathaniel Hackett, kept Parker on his staff in 2022. Hackett lasted less than a full season before he was also fired. The club’s next coach, Sean Payton, also kept Parker on his staff in 2023, and he also attempted to bring Fangio back as a coordinator.

Fangio did not want to return to Denver, so Payton ended up hiring Vance Joseph instead. Parker stuck around for one season under Joseph before asking to leave this spring to reunite with Fangio, who now coaches with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Broncos could have blocked Parker’s lateral move — he’s now a “passing game coordinator,” a title Denver easily could have given him — but Payton let the coach exit.

“Christian was with us and he got promoted,” Payton said at the NFL combine on Feb. 27. “[The Eagles are] getting a bright young coach. Obviously, Vic knows him because he’s work with him before. Christian’s really sharp. I’d say his degree, if you will, in defensive football is in that scheme.

“He was a pleasure to work with. I’m excited that he has that opportunity. Vic and I talked at length about Christian. He was one of the coaches that we kept from last year’s staff.”

Broncos general manager George Paton was also full of praise when asked about Parker at the combine.

“Christian is outstanding,” Paton said. “He’s young, poised beyond his years. Very good teacher. I don’t know how old he is but he came in here to coach Justin Simmons, Pat Surtain and Kareem Jackson. I would just say he’s a really good teacher.

“In regard to me, he’s a very good evaluator and when we got involved in the draft process, free agent process, he was outstanding as an evaluator. I feel like [the Eagles] really got a star in Christian Parker.”

To replace Parker, Denver hired Jim Leonhard as their new DBs coach.

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Broncos expected to make Jamar Cain their new DL coach

After losing Marcus Dixon to the Vikings, the Broncos are expected to make Jamar Cain their new defensive line coach.

The Denver Broncos lost two members of their coaching staff this offseason. Both of the positions vacated by those departures have now been filled.

First, the Broncos lost defensive backs coach Christian Parker, who left the club to join the Philadelphia Eagles and reunite with Vic Fangio. Denver replaced Parker with Jim Leonhard, an overqualified DBs coach who might one day become a defensive coordinator.

After losing Parker, the Broncos also lost defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, who left the team in a lateral move to join the Minnesota Vikings. It sounds like Denver will now replace Dixon with an in-house candidate.

The Broncos are expected to promote pass rush specialist Jamar Cain to defensive line coach, according to The Athletic‘s Bruce Feldman. Cain previously coached defensive linemen at four college programs before joining Denver’s staff in 2023.

The Broncos could fill Cain’s old rule with a new pass rush specialist, but they don’t necessarily need to. Denver already has an outside linebackers coach (Michael Wilhoite), so promoting Cain does not leave them without a position coach.

If the Broncos do bring in another assistant in a pass rush role, Rob Ninkovich could be a name to watch after he served as a part-time guest coach last season.

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Broncos announce Sean Payton’s two additions to coaching staff

The Broncos have hired Pete Carmichael (senior offensive assistant) and Jim Leonhard (defensive pass game coordinator/DBs coach).

The Denver Broncos confirmed two expected hires on Wednesday.

First, the Broncos brought in Pete Carmichael as a senior offensive assistant, a move that was previously reported. After that, the team added Jim Leonhard as defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, another previously reported hire.

Carmichael, 52, worked with Denver head coach Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021. He served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2009 through last season before being fired.

Leonhard, 41, played safety for 10 seasons in the NFL, including one year with the Broncos (2012) and one summer with Payton’s Saints (2013). He will replace Christian Parker as the team’s new DBs coach. Landing him as a position coach is a big hire for Denver.

Leonhard previously served as a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, his alma mater, from 2017-2021 before being promoted to interim head coach in 2022. Leonhard then left the Badgers and spent one season as a senior football analyst with Illinois in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers offered Leonhard their defensive coordinator job in 2021 but he turned them down. Leonhard also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator opening in 2023. Leonhard will likely land a DC job at some point down the road. For now, the Broncos will have him coaching their defensive backs.

Those are two good hires for Payton’s staff.

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No coaches remain with Broncos from Nathaniel Hackett’s old staff

Entering their second offseason without Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos no longer employ any members of Hackett’s old coaching staff.

Now entering their second season without Nathaniel Hackett, the Denver Broncos no longer employ any members of his 2022 coaching staff.

Some coaches were fired, some were out of contract and not renewed, and some — like Ejiro Evero — wanted to leave. Now no coaches remain from that 2022 staff that went 5-12.

After new head coach Sean Payton took over early last year, the club parted ways with all but two coaches from Hackett’s staff: defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.

Parker and Dixon both left the team in lateral moves this offseason. Parker joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their new passing game coordinator and Dixon joined the Minnesota Vikings as their new defensive line coach.

The Broncos will replace Parker with Jim Leonhard. Dixon’s replacement is still to-be-determined.

Plenty of players remain from the Hackett era, but the coaching staff is all new. Considering how disastrous the 2022 season was, a revamped coaching staff is probably a good thing for Denver’s long-term outlook.

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Broncos expected to hire Jim Leonhard as DBs coach

After losing Christian Parker to the Eagles, the Broncos are expected to hire Jim Leonhard as their new defensive backs coach.

After losing defensive backs coach Christian Parker to the Philadelphia Eagles in a lateral move, the Denver Broncos are poised to replace him with a former NFL safety.

The Broncos are expected to hire Jim Leonhard as their new defensive backs coach, ESPN’s Dan Graziano first reported on Sunday. Leonhard, 41, played in the NFL from 2005-2014. He spent time with six teams, including one season with the Denver Broncos in 2012.

Leonhard hung up his cleats following the 2014 season with 428 career tackles, 14 interceptions and 4.5 sacks in 142 games (73 starts). He transitioned to coaching in 2016 when he returned to Wisconsin — his alma mater — as a defensive backs coach.

Leonhard was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017 and he later served as the Badgers’ interim head coach in 2022. After leaving Wisconsin in 2023, Leonhard served as a senior football analyst at Illinois last fall. He’s now returning to the NFL as a coach as a member of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s staff.

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Eagles (and Vic Fangio) poach promising young coach from Broncos

Christian Parker left the Broncos to join Vic Fangio’s defensive staff with the Eagles. Vance Joseph remains Denver’s defensive coordinator.

The Denver Broncos will need a new defensive backs coach in 2024.

After interviewing for defensive coordinator openings with the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, defensive backs coach Christian Parker is leaving the Broncos, but not for a DC job.

Parker has left Denver to join Vic Fangio’s defensive staff with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple reports. It’s essentially a lateral move — Parker will become a “passing game coordinator” in Philadelphia, a title the Broncos could have given him in 2024.

Denver could have blocked Parker’s move, but Denver head coach Sean Payton allowed the young coach to reunite with Fangio. Parker, 32, was hired by Fangio in 2021.

The Broncos have now lost two promising young defensive coaches in consecutive offseasons: Ejiro Evero in 2023 and Parker in 2024. After Evero left last year, Payton wanted to replace him with Fangio, but Fangio did not want to return to Denver.

The Broncos ultimately ended up hiring Vance Joseph as DC. Evero left, Parker left and Fangio wouldn’t return. Now Joseph remains.

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NFL coach roundup: No head coach jobs left for Bill Belichick

All of the NFL’s head coach openings have been filled and Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel remain available.

The NFL’s final two head coach openings have been filled.

The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and the Washington Commanders are hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coaches.

That means there are no head coach jobs available for Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel. It’s a surprising development, but both coaches should land on their feet with time.

A dream scenario for a team like the Denver Broncos might be bringing in one of Belichick or Vrabel as a defensive coordinator, but that seems unlikely. The Broncos appear to be moving forward with Vance Joseph as their DC, and Belichick will presumably take a year hiatus from coaching, similar to what Sean Payton did in 2022.

Speaking of DC jobs, there’s good news on that front for Denver.

Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker interviewed for DC openings with the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, but the Pats (DeMarcus Covington) and Packers (Jeff Hafley) are expected to hire other candidates. That presumably means Parker won’t be leaving Denver.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos are bringing in former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, likely in a senior assistant role.

Elsewhere on the coaching front, ex-Denver coach Vic Fangio parted with the Miami Dolphins in a lateral move to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ DC. And Joe DeCamillis, who won Super Bowl 50 as a coordinator with the Broncos, has been hired by South Carolina as their new special teams coordinator.

The Broncos have made one addition (Carmichael) to the coaching staff, but no coaches have been fired so far, at least not that we’re aware of. It appears that Sean Payton will bring back most of his 2023 staff in 2024.

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Coach and GM roundup: Titans hire ex-Broncos assistant as head coach

Coach roundup: Titans hired ex-Broncos assistant Brian Callahan as HC, Raiders stick with Antonio Pierce while Chargers land Jim Harbaugh.

Story update: After this post was scheduled, the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms with Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach. See our original post below. 

The NFL’s coaching carousel continues turning as teams outside the playoffs begin preparing for the 2024 campaign.

After firing Mike Vrabel, the Tennessee Titans have replaced him with former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their new head coach. Callahan, 39, was an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos from 2010-2015, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

Peyton Manning has heaped praise on Callahan, who left the Broncos in 2016 to become the Detroit Lions’ quarterbacks coach. After two seasons in Detroit, Callahan coached QBs for the Oakland Raiders in 2018 before getting Cincy’s OC job in 2019.

Seven years after leaving Denver, Callahan was a candidate to return to the Broncos in 2022 when the team fired Vic Fangio. The Broncos interviewed Callahan for their HC opening before eventually hiring Nathaniel Hackett instead. Two years later, Callahan is now a HC in Tennessee and the Broncos have replaced Hackett with Sean Payton.

Elsewhere on the coaching front, the Atlanta Falcons have completed a second head coach interview with Ejiro Evero, who served as Denver’s defensive coordinator in 2022.

Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker has interviewed for the New England Patriots’s defensive coordinator position, but Pats in-house candidate DeMarcus Covington is considered the favorite to land that gig.

Meanwhile, in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders have officially hired Antonio Pierce as their new head coach, removing his interim tag. Las Vegas has also hired a general manager, bringing in Tom Telesco. That means the Raiders will not hire Denver executive Kelly Kleine Van Calligan, who interviewed for the GM opening.

Las Vegas is now set to interview ex-Broncos QBs coach Mike Sullivan (2018) for their offensive coordinator position.

The Los Angeles Chargers have interviewed Vrabel for their HC opening, but Jim Harbaugh is believed to be a leading candidate for the job after setting up a second interview with Los Angeles.

The Chargers and Patriots are still seeking GMs. L.A.’s list of GM candidates includes Jeff Ireland, Dawn Aponte and Jeff King.

In addition to the Chargers and Falcons, the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders also have HC openings. Harbaugh, Vrabel and Bill Belichick are the most notable coaches still available.

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Broncos in danger of losing DBs coach Christian Parker to Patriots

One year after losing Ejiro Evero, the Broncos are now in danger of losing Christian Parker, too.

When Sean Payton took over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach last year, he kept just two members of the former coaching staff: defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.

Parker, 32, is considered a rising star on Denver’s staff and he might one day become a head coach. The next step for Parker on his path to a potential head coach job down the road would be a promotion to defensive coordinator.

The Broncos currently have Vance Joseph as their DC and at least one other team is interested in Parker as a DC candidate.

The New England Patriots are set to interview Parker for their DC opening after making Jerod Mayo their HC, according to multiple reports.

Parker joined Denver’s staff as a DBs coach in 2021 after serving as a defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-2020. Before that, Parker worked at four colleges from 2013-2018, including Notre Dame and Texas A&M before making a jump to the NFL.

Parker has stuck with the Broncos through three different HCs — Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett and Payton — and three different DCs — Ed Donatell, Ejiro Evero and Joseph. A coach staying with a team through three different staffs is unusual and a reflection of how well Parker is thought of in Denver.

Last year, Joseph, 51, praised Parker and spoke about the assistant helping him create a scheme with elements carried over from Evero and Fangio.

“He’s sharp, man,” Joseph said of Parker on June 14. “He’s sharp. He’s a star. He is a great partner to work with. As a veteran coach, I’ve coordinated for about seven years now. My tape is out there, so I’m looking for ways to do different things.

“[I’ve been] speaking with Christian every day and bouncing ideas off him from what he’s done with Vic and guys in the past has been fun. [We’re] making changes and growing off what they did last year. He’s smart, he works his butt off and his players love playing for him. He’s a star.”

Losing Parker would be a huge loss not only for the Broncos’ secondary but for the defense as a whole. Unless Denver parts ways with Joseph, the Broncos do not have a DC promotion available for Parker. So one year after losing Evero, Denver is now in danger of losing Parker as well.

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Patriots interviewing two assistants, including top-10 defensive coach

Add two more candidates to the Patriots’ round of defensive coordinator interviews

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo is busy conducting interviews to fill his coaching staff. Defensive coordinator has come into focus with the team interviewing Carolina Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu on Monday.

There were two more names added to the list on Friday with the team expected to interview New Orleans Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The Broncos were far more competitive in the defensive backfield last season, but things took a nosedive in 2023. Granted, it wasn’t just the defensive backfield that struggled in Denver. The entire defense had a rough run, before finally starting to turn a corner late in the season.

With that said, Hodges is clearly one of the more intriguing candidates considering how well the Saints defense performed in 2023, despite all of the obvious offensive struggles. New Orleans had a top-10 scoring defense that held opponents to only 19.1 points per game, which was sixth-best in the NFL.

Hodges is a rising, young coach that comes from a situation where the defense is used to carrying the weight. The same has been true for the past two seasons in New England, and it could remain the case in 2024, as the team works to rebuild on offense.

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