Denver Broncos Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Broncos Likely To Hire Rich Scangarello

January 16th, 2019 at 10:09am CST by Zach Links

It’s not over ’till it’s over with the Broncos’ offensive coordinator vacancy, but it sounds like they’ve zeroed in on their next hire. Niners quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello is expected to become the team’s new OC, barring a snag in talks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Scangarello had a strong first interview with Vic Fangio & Co. earlier this week and he’ll be back in the building for Round 2 on Wednesday. Scangarello has just four years of NFL assistant coaching experience, but he wowed Denver brass nonetheless, and the 49ers’ initial reluctance to let him interview with the Broncos shows how much he is valued.

In 2018, the Broncos finished 19th in total offense with 350.1 yards per game. Scangarello, or whoever the hire is, will be expected to draw them closer to the Top 10.

As shown in PFR’s Offensive Coordinator Tracker, Scangarello is the only known candidate at this time. Mike Munchak was thought to be in the mix after Gary Kubiak bailed, but he has since signed on to be the Broncos’ new offensive line coach.

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Ed Donatell To Be Named Broncos DC

January 15th, 2019 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ed Donatell Denver return escalated quickly. The Broncos are naming the Bears’ defensive backs coach as their next defensive coordinator, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter).

Long rumored to be a candidate to follow Vic Fangio to Denver, Donatell will succeed Joe Woods as the Broncos’ DC. Donatell has twice been a secondary coach with the Broncos, doing so first for five seasons under Mike Shanahan from 1995-99.

Donatell, 61, interviewed for the job on Tuesday and will now be Fangio’s right-hand man running Denver’s defense. Although Fangio will call the Broncos’ defensive plays, Donatell has extensive NFL experience. He is now a four-time DC, last serving in the role for the 2008 Redskins. Donatell left the Broncos in 2000 to become the Packers’ DC, and after a four-year stay in Green Bay, he led three Falcon defenses in the mid-2000s.

He returned to Denver to coach the 2010 Broncos’ secondary, but after Josh McDaniels‘ tenure abruptly ended, Donatell began his eight-year run working with Fangio. Serving under Fangio for four years with the 49ers, Donatell spent the past four seasons in Chicago overseeing the Bears’ secondary — one that featured 2018 Pro Bowlers Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson. The Bears led the NFL in pass-defense DVOA by a wide margin. The Bears wanted Donatell to stay as their DBs coach and work under new DC Chuck Pagano but will now have to replace another key defensive staffer.

The Broncos have regressed from their form under Wade Phillips. They featured what was probably the NFL’s best cornerback trio from 2014-17, with Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby joining Chris Harris. With Talib since traded and Roby a free agent who may well depart Colorado, Harris stands alone. Given his experience leading secondaries, Donatell figures to play a key role in attempting to revitalize the Broncos’ coverage work.

Donatell was the only known candidate to have interviewed for this job.

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Bears Wanted Ed Donatell To Stay

January 15th, 2019 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ed Donatell and the Broncos are close on a deal that would bring the longtime Vic Fangio coworker to Denver as defensive coordinator, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. This deal figures to get done soon, with Mike Klis of 9News suggesting (via Twitter) this could be more of a formality. The Bears are trying to retain Donatell to coach their defensive backs, after giving Chuck Pagano Fangio’s old job, Klis adds. But with Donatell interviewing for a DC role — a job title he has not held in 11 years — with Fangio, it points to the Bears losing another key defensive staffer.

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Broncos To Interview Ed Donatell For DC Job

January 15th, 2019 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to spending eight seasons coaching alongside Vic Fangio in San Francisco and Chicago, Ed Donatell collected a pair of Super Bowl rings in Denver. The Broncos have employed the latter for two stints and may be set to bring him back.

Fangio’s new team will interview Donatell for its defensive coordinator position, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. This meeting has been rumored for a bit now, to the point it would be an upset if Donatell did not get the job. He was previously weighing between staying in Chicago or following Fangio to Denver.

This interview, the Broncos’ first for their DC job, could well be a sign he has chosen the latter path.

Donatell served as the Bears’ defensive backs coach for the past four seasons. Prior to that, he led the 49ers’ secondary. He held this position with the Broncos in the late 1990s, being on both of Mike Shanahan‘s Super Bowl-winning staffs. Donatell returned to Denver in 2010 before following Fangio and Jim Harbaugh to the Bay Area a year later.

Although he has coached secondaries throughout the 2010s, the 61-year-old assistant is a three-time DC — with the Packers (2000-03), Falcons (2004-06) and Redskins (’08). Fangio said he would call plays for Denver’s defense, so this gig would not bring the kind of responsibility many in the NFL do.

The Broncos are not retaining two-year DC Joe Woods, who has drawn interest as a DBs coach from multiple teams.

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Coaching Rumors: Colts, 49ers, Dolphins

January 15th, 2019 at 10:21am CST by Zach Links

The Colts are letting offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo go elsewhere, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Even though the Colts’ OL improved greatly in 2018, head coach Frank Reich wants to bring in his own guy, Garafolo hears. DeGuglielmo, who was originally selected by would-be coach Josh McDaniels, is being recommended by Reich to other coaches around the league.

The move comes as a surprise given the results that DeGuglielmo was able to get out of his group last season. However, Reich and DeGuglielmo were not on the same page. You can expect a healthy market for DeGuglielmo’s services and he shouldn’t be unemployed for long.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods will interview with the 49ers on Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Woods is not expected to return under new head coach Vic Fangio, but he’s not receiving DC interest from other teams either. In addition to the SF interview, Woods has also spoken with the Redskins and Cardinals about positions on their staff.
New Jets coach Adam Gase says he did not ask for control of the 53-man roster (via Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald). He also says that he never requested that power with the Dolphins; rather, it was something offered up to him during negotiations with Miami.
Terry Robiskie is expected to become the Jaguars‘ new running backs coach, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (on Twitter). Robiskie has played and coached the position before at the NFL level and the Jags apparently believe that he can get the most out of star rusher Leonard Fournette.

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Kubiak Sought Dennison For Denver OL Job

January 14th, 2019 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings announced Klint Kubiak (quarterbacks coach) and Brian Pariani (tight ends) are following Gary Kubiak to Minnesota, with the latter’s official title being assistant head coach/offensive advisor. Expected to be part of the Gary Kubiak gang getting back together up north, Rick Dennison was not included in this announcement. But Mike Klis of 9News notes the former Broncos and Bills OC is indeed believed to be part of the next Vikings staff (Twitter link). When Kubiak agreed to reprise his longtime role as Broncos OC, he wanted Dennison to oversee the team’s offensive line concepts, per Klis. The Broncos’ pursuit of Mike Munchak overruled this, and Dennison — the Jets’ O-line coach in 2018 — could be set to have a role in aiding the Vikings’ blockers next season.
Speaking of Munchak, the Broncos went beyond their usual offensive line coach budget to bring him over from Pittsburgh, Klis notes (on Twitter). Munchak, who has coached for just two franchises (the Oilers/Titans and Steelers), has family in the area.

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Vikings To Hire Gary Kubiak

January 14th, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Gary Kubiak will not return to an offensive coordinator role in 2019. Instead, he will take a job with the Vikings as an offensive advisor, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

He was linked to a Minnesota role earlier Monday, and his son’s new position likely played a key role. Klint Kubiak is expected to become the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach, Schefter reports.

This will be Gary Kubiak’s first time on the sidelines in a non-HC role since he was the 2014 Ravens’ OC. He will undoubtedly help OC Kevin Stefanski, whose first NFL play-calling experience came when he was promoted late this season to his current role.

Stefanski is close with Klint Kubiak, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). They worked together when Klint was part of the Vikings’ staffs in 2013-14 as a quality control coach. Gary Kubiak once wanted to bring Stefanski to Denver, per Schefter (on Twitter), but they will pair up in Minneapolis instead.

This also represents a key turning point on the 2019 coaching carousel. Less than a week ago, Kubiak was expected to return to the Broncos’ coaching staff as their offensive coordinator, teaming with new HC Vic Fangio. But conflicts, centering around personnel, scuttled that move. And it will end up sending Kubiak out of Denver, where he held his “dream job” and became a Super Bowl-winning coach.

Interestingly, the two assistants Kubiak reportedly wanted to bring back to Denver, per 9News’ Mike Klis, will follow him to Minnesota. Former Broncos OC Rick Dennison and ex-Denver tight ends coach Brian Pariani will be part of the Vikings’ staff next season, Alex Marvez of Sirius XM tweets, adding that Kubiak’s title is expected to be something along the lines of “assistant head coach/offense.” With Kubiak influencing staff moves to this degree, it looks like he is going to have a key voice for how the Vikings proceed next season. And the Vikings’ 2019 offensive staff will look a lot like the 2016 Broncos’ did.

These moves may well be based around Kirk Cousins. Mike Shanahan drafted Cousins and championed him as a future starter, though Cousins’ time realizing his former coach’s vision came under Jay Gruden. But Shanahan and Kubiak feature nearly identical offensive systems, making Kubiak-to-Minnesota a natural fit.

At 31, Klint Kubiak is a few months older than Cousins. He worked with quarterbacks in Denver for the past three seasons, the first under his father and most recent two when Gary Kubiak was part of the Broncos’ front office. Dennison served as Kubiak’s Denver OC from 2015-16 but was relieved of that job in Buffalo after the 2017 season. He coached the Jets’ offensive line last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Broncos To Hire Mike Munchak

January 14th, 2019 at 2:29pm CST by Zach Links

The Broncos have agreed to terms with Mike Munchak to be their new offensive line coach, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Munchak was the runner-up in their head coaching search before the hiring of Vic Fangio and the club kept in close contact with him as they built out the staff.

The team announced the hire.

Initially, it was believed that Munchak might be a candidate for the offensive coordinator role that was abandoned by Gary Kubiak. Instead, he’s making a lateral move from the Steelers to the Broncos, though he’ll presumably receive a pay bump.

Munchak, 58, has been the Steelers’ offensive line coach since 2014. His contract expired after the 2018 season, so he had no real roadblocks on his way to Denver.

Munchak is widely regarded as one of the league’s best offensive line coaches in the NFL. Under his command, the Steelers’ front five helped transform Le’Veon Bell into a star and vaulted James Conner into the upper echelon of running backs in 2018.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Broncos To Interview Rich Scangarello

January 14th, 2019 at 2:02pm CST by Zach Links

The Broncos’ interview with Rich Scangarello is back on. After being rebuffed initially, the 49ers have reversed course to allow the Broncos to talk with their quarterbacks coach (via Mike Klis of 9News).

With that, the Broncos and Scangarello will discuss Denver’s offensive coordinator vacancy on Monday afternoon. The 46-year-old is one of a few known candidates for the job that was accepted, then rejected, by Gary Kubiak last week.

Scangarello has just four years of NFL assistant coaching experience, but he did spent four years as a college OC between Northern Arizona and Wagner. Scangarello patterned his passing game after Kyle Shanahan, which is why he accepted a low-paying assistant job to join his Falcons staff in 2015 and followed him to San Francisco.

As shown in PFR’s Offensive Coordinator Tracker, Scangarello is the first known candidate to interview for the job since the Kubiak hire went bust.

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Jaguars To Interview Gary Kubiak

January 14th, 2019 at 9:58am CST by Zach Links

Gary Kubiak will not be joining the Broncos, but he’s still after offensive coordinator positions. With that in mind, he’ll interview with the Jaguars on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Kubiak is still technically under contract as the Broncos’ senior personnel advisor, but GM John Elway appears wiling to let Kubiak out of his contract for a coaching job, Rapoport hears. This is a slight departure from Elway’s position a few weeks ago, when he was warding off interested suitors such as the the Bengals and Falcons. At the time, Kubiak was in line for Denver’s OC gig, but the two men had some disagreements when it came time for Kubiak to formally sign up as a lieutenant to new head coach Vic Fangio.

As a head coach, Kubiak has a career 82-75 mark, including a 21-11 record across his two seasons with the Broncos. In his first year as the Broncos’ HC, Denver won Super Bowl 50 with a memorable win over the Panthers.

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