Raiders, Broncos about to learn whether shake-ups were smart or desperate

With the seasons of their respective teams essentially hanging by a thread, Jack Del Rio and Vance Joseph both felt compelled to make a move.

Del Rio’s Oakland Raiders, owners of a 4-6 record and the 26th-ranked defense in the NFL, have failed to live up to expectations. So the coach this week fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and turned the unit over to assistant head coach John Pagano.

Meanwhile, with the Denver Broncos are floundering at 3-7 amid a six-game losing streak, Joseph axed offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and promoted quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave to play caller.

Del Rio said he wants his defense “to play faster.” The Raiders have talented pass-rushers and defensive backs, but they have a league-worst six takeaways (with no interceptions) and 14 sacks.

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Joseph, meanwhile, said he needs an offense that features a “more efficient pass game." The Broncos also are turning to their third different starting quarterback (Paxton Lynch) this year, hoping he can avoid the 14 interceptions (second-most of any team) that plagued predecessors Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler.

But at this point in the season, will either team's shake-up yield significant improvement?

A drastic change made to save or preserve a season can quickly backfire.

Frustrated by a 47-10 loss to the Saints in Week 10 in which the Bills netted just 56 passing yards, Sean McDermott gave in to desperation as he benched the usually efficient Tyrod Taylor and replaced him with fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman. The rookie was nowhere near game-ready, throwing five interceptions and just six completions in the first half before getting benched for Taylor. After considering giving Peterman another shot this week, McDermott said he’ll instead stick with Taylor, saying it’s the best decision for the team. 

Meanwhile, Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer has stuck with the unflashy yet steady Case Keenum despite the allure of playing Teddy Bridgewater, the former starter who is fully recovered from the devastating knee injury that cost him all of the 2016 campaign. Keenum was once again efficient in a Thanksgiving win over the Lions, pushing the Vikings' win streak to seven games and his own starting record to 7-2.

The Raiders and Broncos are about to learn which category – smart or desperate – their moves fall under when the two AFC West rivals face each other Sunday.

While quarterback benchings are somewhat common for struggling teams, in-season coordinator firings are a bit more drastic. But the Raiders and Broncos both find themselves in unique positions.

With Norton’s unit struggling the two seasons, Del Rio added Pagano to his staff this offseason. The former Chargers defensive coordinator tends to favor a more aggressive approach in the area of blitzes and coverages than Norton did, and the new approach is closer to Del Rio’s style.

However, it’s no sure thing that promoting Pagano prompts great improvement. Del Rio’s decision greatly upset some of his defensive players, in part because the head coach already was heavily involved in that part of the game planning. Del Rio admitted he deserves some of the blame for the defensive struggles. But even so, some within the organization see Norton simply as the scapegoat for the team’s struggles.

Meanwhile, the Broncos turn to Musgrave, who previously served as offensive coordinator for five others teams, including the Raiders from 2015-16. Based on his body of work and philosophies, Musgrave likely will look to simplify things for Lynch and rely more heavily on the run.

There could be growing pains, however. Lynch – a first-round pick in 2016 – played in only three games as a rookie. He hasn’t played since the preseason, when he suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him until late October.

But with six games remaining and Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian having already played their way out of the job, it’s time for team officials to see if Lynch is the answer.

Both Del Rio and Joseph saw an open opportunity with the division-leading Chiefs headed in the wrong direction, having lost four of the last five and now 6-4 on the year. The Chargers and Raiders are tied at 4-6, and the Broncos sit just a game behind those two.

We’ll see which – if any – of the moves can save the day.

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Follow Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones

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