ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos approach a Week 17 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero will aim to help his unit rebound from a tough performance against the Rams.
Evero, though, could have had far more on his to-do list this week. The first-year defensive coordinator confirmed Thursday he was offered the Broncos’ interim head-coaching position, but he chose to stay focused on his unit to help Denver’s defense finish the season strong.
“I don’t want to get into too much of the details, but at the end of the day, this is not a situation that any of us really wanted to be in,” Evero said. “We just all agreed that the best thing for this team moving forward was for me to continue to work with the defense [and be] fully invested there, and I think that’s where I can have the best value for this team.”
Evero has certainly provided value for the Broncos in his current role. Prior to the Week 16 debacle against the Rams, the Broncos’ defense ranked in the top three in scoring defense, interceptions, third-down percentage and red-zone percentage and in the top five in total defense and passing defense. Entering Week 17, Denver still remains in the top five in most defensive metrics.
“We were all very disappointed with how we performed, how we coached, how we played — and we are very confident that’s not a reflection of who we are,” Evero said. “Obviously when you have a performance like that, we’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We’ve got to see where things went wrong. We’ve got to all see where we can be better. That’s the great thing about this group. It hasn’t been perfect this year, but the one thing that we can count on is that they’re going to respond the right way.”
The Broncos have responded, certainly at least in part, because of Evero’s ability to coach and lead. Denver’s defense has earned Evero national attention as a possible future head coach, and Broncos General Manager George Paton said earlier this week the…
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