Denver Broncos name Jack Del Rio interim head coach

The Denver Broncos have named defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio interim coach while head coach John Fox recovers.

According to ESPN, with Fox set to take a leave of absence to have heart surgery, the Broncos have decided to name Del Rio the interim head coach.

The Broncos most likely tapped Del Rio for the job because of his head coaching experience. The 50-year-old coached the Jacksonville Jaguars for nine seasons and led the team to the playoffs twice. He was fired in 2011 and joined Fox’s staff in 2012. He is expected to continue his play-calling duties for the defensive while he is the interim coach.

Fox, who will undergo aortic valve replacement surgery this week, had this to say in statement released by the team on Saturday.

"I sincerely appreciate all of the support from friends, Denver Broncos fans and so many around the league today," Fox said. "Although I am disappointed I must take some time away from the team to attend to this pre-existing health condition, I understand that it's the right thing to do. I have great confidence in our coaches and players, who are fully committed to our goals. I look forward to returning to coaching as soon as possible."

No date has been set for Fox’s return, but the team has said he will be out for several weeks after the procedure.

The Broncos are 7-1 this season and have been one of the best teams in the league thus far, but Del Rio has no easy task ahead of him. As USA Today points out, Denver’s next six games are against teams with a record of .500 or better.

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.