Interim Denver head coach Jerry Rosburg said Wednesday he’s glad defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was first offered the position and admired the fact that Evero turned it down.
Evero, of course, is close friends with Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired as head coach Monday. Rosburg suggested that played into Evero’s decision to turn down the interim job.
“I talked to Ejiro and told him how I respected his decision because of his loyalty and his relationship with Nathaniel,” Rosburg said. “My feeling is if that had happened to me with another close friend of mine in my career, I hope I would have done the same thing, but it’s not an easy thing to do.
“I think he should be recognized for the magnanimous act that he did.”
General manager George Paton said Tuesday the Broncos hope to interview Evero for the full-time head coaching position.
“He’s highly qualified and he deserved the opportunity to say yes (to the interim job),” Rosburg said. “He chose to say no and that’s why I’m standing here before you.”
Rosburg fired assistants: Rosburg on Wednesday also said he made the decision to fire special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes and offensive line coach Butch Barry after Hackett was let go.
After Rosburg, a career special teams coordinator, was hired in Week 3 to help with game management, Stukes essentially said he didn’t need Rosburg’s help in his department and relied on others for guidance. Rosburg pulled no punches on Wednesday.
“I know special teams. I’ve been coaching special teams for a long time. We weren’t good enough,” Rosburg said. “We were 32nd in the league in one of the metrics I follow and, if I’m not mistaken, there’s 32 teams in this league. That had to change. The only way it was going to change was for me to insert myself right in the middle of that thing.”
Mike Mallory will be the special teams’ coordinator, but Rosburg said he’d be “hip deep” in the operation.
He had warmer words for Barry, saying “I have great respect for Butch and affection. He’s a good man and really a fine coach…Made that decision because I want to move in a different direction with the offensive line and make an impactful move on the offensive line.”
Does that mean offensive linemen will be shuffling positions for the final two weeks?
“We’ll let the Chiefs figure that out on Sunday,” Rosburg said.
Gregory explains punch: Whether Randy Gregory plays against Kansas City and Los Angeles in Denver’s final two games will depend on his knee injury, but he is eligible to play Sunday because his one-game suspension for a post-game punch against the Rams was downgraded to a $50,000 fine on Tuesday.
“Definitely regret it,” Gregory told reporters Wednesday. “I’ve had a lot go on in my journey in this career and definitely not one of my bright spots. It was more of a back-and-forth throughout the game and I just took the frustration a little too far. I let my emotions kind of lead me and didn’t think of the ramifications of my actions. I’ve got to be better about that.”
Gregory’s been suspended several times by the NFL over his years with the Dallas Cowboys, mostly for violations of marijuana-related rules that have since been changed.
“I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to rebuild my brand, my image and trust within organizations, the league and the public eye,” he said. “I’m not new to being in this position, whether that be individually or collectively as a team.”
Injury updates: Denver had a lengthy list of players miss practice Wednesday. They include: Outside linebacker Baron Browning (back), tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring), offensive lineman Calvin Anderson (ankle) and defensive linemen D.J. Jones (knee) and Mike Purcell (elbow). Safety Kareem Jackson and running back Latavius Murray got veteran rest days and tackle Billy Turner and defensive lineman DeShawn Williams didn’t practice for personal reasons.
Jeudy leaves practice: Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy left practice flanked by a trainer Wednesday during the portion of the workout open to reporters. Jeudy grabbed at his ankle, which he injured against Tennessee and then missed two additional games because of the injury. He was listed as a limited participant due to an ankle injury.
