The Denver Broncos moved on from Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games, ending one of the most disastrous head coaching hires in NFL history. Hackett didn’t last past his first season in Denver, despite having Russell Wilson as his franchise quarterback and a roster projected to compete for the AFC West title and end a six-year playoff drought.
The Broncos defense was one of the best in the NFL, despite the offense not holding up to their end of the bargain. A 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was the final straw for Hackett, who appeared to be on the outs anyway once the season concluded.
Hackett is just the fifth head coach since the merger not to last to the finish of his first season. Here’s the infamous list of head coaches Hackett didn’t want to be on — and why they failed.
Nathaniel Hackett (Denver Broncos, 2022)
Record: 4-11
Hackett was a disaster from the start in Denver, as the Broncos offense averaged 15.5 points per game under his watch — the franchise’s lowest since 1971. The Broncos were also last in third-down conversation rate at 28.6% in the 15 games under Hackett.
Russell Wilson signed a five-year, $242.6 million contract with Denver this offseason. Out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks, Wilson is 32nd in completion rate (60.1%) and 29th in passer rating (82.6). His dropoff is contributed to Hackett and an offense that was inefficient.
The Broncos can’t cut Wilson and his contract, so Hackett is the odd man out. Wilson gets another coach to help rebound his career.
Record: 2-11
Meyer was fired prior to the end of a disastrous first season in Jacksonville, which was one of the worst head coaching hires ever. A tenure full of embarrassment and scandal, from controversial head coach hires to quarrels with players (including allegedly kicking one that led to his dismissal). Makes sense considering Meyer never was a coach in the NFL prior to his hire in Jacksonville.
The numbers were abysmal for Trevor Lawrence in his rookie season too, who finished his rookie season completing 59.6% of his passes for 3,641 yards with 12 touchdowns to 17 interceptions (71.9 rating). Of the 31 qualified quarterbacks, Lawrence was 29th in completion percentage, 31st in touchdown percentage (2.0%), 24th in interception percentage (2.8%), 31st in yards per attempt (6.0), and 30th in quarterback rating.
Meyer mishandled his players, his personnel, and wasn’t fit to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…