4. Madden’s top pick
John Madden was among the Raiders alum in attendance in Del Rio’s interviews with the team. Madden, along with general manager Reggie McKenzie and owner Mark Davis, had a long second interview with Del Rio Tuesday night in regards to the Raiders’ head-coaching vacancy. Del Rio didn’t leave that meeting with Oakland’s braintrust with an offer.
Del Rio certainly had a lot of weapons this past season in Denver, but his first year as the helm of the Broncos’ defense may have been his best work. He helped the defense to the fourth-best mark in terms of points allowed in his first year. Over the past two seasons, Denver has ranked 22nd and 16th in scoring defense, with five Pro Bowl selections. This year, the Broncos ranked third in defense DVOA, third against the run and fifth against the pass.
Del Rio also served as the team’s interim head coach when Fox was out following his heart attack.
