Broncos Hire Rich Scangarello
The Broncos have officially hired Rich Scangarello as their new offensive coordinator, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) first reported Scangarello was expected to land in Denver barring any snags in negotiations.
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.
49ers Interested In Antonio Brown?
The 49ers and Antonio Brown became connected recently after Jerry Rice said in a radio interview Brown wants a trade to San Francisco “really bad.”
Perhaps the team is interested as well. Some in league circles believe the 49ers have “real interest” in acquiring Brown, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, adding that the team will be inclined to explore what it will take to land the disgruntled Steelers wide receiver.
An NFL.com report over the weekend mentioned the Broncos as a possible Brown suitor and pegged the Steelers as ready to contact teams about moving the four-time All-Pro, noting it might not take a first-round pick to pry him from Pittsburgh.
The 49ers’ position behind the Rams and Seahawks in the NFC West, with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan entering their third offseasons running this team, may point to the franchise being eager to do what it can to catch up quickly. San Francisco is expected to have Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon back in 2019 to pair with George Kittle. But the 49ers, employment of Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis notwithstanding, lack an impact wideout. They did not chase big-ticket free agent receivers in 2018, opting to let others pay Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson, but Brown is obviously on another tier by comparison.
Brown has three years and $39MM remaining on his contract. As has been the case throughout the Lynch-Shanahan era, the 49ers among the league leaders in projected cap space. They are expected to hold more than $62MM. Art Rooney II pointed to a bleak future for the Steelers and Brown, indicating it was hard to envision the soon-to-be 31-year-old superstar in Pittsburgh next season after the way this past one ended.
Joe Woods To Join 49ers’ Staff
The Broncos’ recent revamp forced 2018 coordinators Joe Woods and Bill Musgrave to look for work elsewhere, and the former found it in the Bay Area.
Woods agreed to become the 49ers’ passing-game coordinator on defense, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The two-year Broncos defensive coordinator interviewed with the 49ers on Tuesday and drew interest from other teams.
Denver’s No-Fly Zone position coach from 2015-16, Woods replaced Wade Phillips as DC in 2017. The Broncos were not able to replicate the success they had under Phillips, particularly in defending air attacks, but Woods’ group remained an upper-echelon unit during his tenure.
Woods spent time in the Bay Area previously, serving as the 2014 Raiders’ defensive backs coach. He has been an NFL assistant since 2004, overseeing secondaries until his 2017 promotion.
The Cardinals and Redskins wanted Woods to coach their respective secondaries, but instead the 48-year-old assistant will join Kyle Shanahan‘s staff. Shanahan interviewed for the Broncos’ HC job that ultimately went to Vance Joseph in 2017. Woods also spent time as the Buccaneers’ secondary coach, which overlapped with Shanahan’s first NFL job — Tampa Bay’s offensive quality control coach from 2004-05.
The 49ers are retaining most of Robert Saleh‘s defensive staff but in recent days added Woods and defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, the latter replacing Jeff Zgonina.
Coaching Rumors: Colts, 49ers, Dolphins
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.
49ers Bring In D-Line Coach
- Kris Kocurek will move from south Florida to the Bay Area, shifting from the Dolphins’ defensive line coach to the same role with the 49ers, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM tweets. Kocurek, 40, was the Lions’ D-line coach for nine seasons prior to moving to Miami.
Broncos To Interview Rich Scangarello
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.
49ers DL Coach Jeff Zgonina Not Expected To Return
- 49ers defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina will not be returning to the team, per Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter).
49ers Denying Teams Permission To Interview Mike LaFleur
- The 49ers denied the Packers and head Matt LaFleur permission to interview his brother, wide receivers coach Mike LaFleur, according to Schefter (on Twitter). San Francisco also denied the Browns and Vikings requests to interview the younger LaFleur.
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49ers Deny Broncos Request To Interview Rich Scangarello
It was reported the Broncos were set to interview 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello for their offensive coordinator job on Monday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, the team had its request for an interview denied by San Francisco, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
Scangarello has been a key assistant under Kyle Shanahan since their days together in Atlanta, and the 49ers head coach appears to value him immensely by denying the request.
As Pelissero notes, Scangarello had a big role getting Nick Mullens ready for action in 2018. Mullens was promoted to the active roster right after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with his season-ending injury in September and wound up starting on November 1. His debut was stellar – he completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 262 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, as the 49ers blew out the Raiders 34–3 on Thursday Night Football. There were still roadblocks for Mullens and the Niners (particularly due to their injuries), but the team went 3-5 during his second half stretch.
The Broncos thought they had their OC in Gary Kubiak, but that deal went south on Friday. With Scangarello now also out of the picture, the team will continue its search. Mike Munchak may be a candidate for the post.
Packers Notes: McDaniel, Hackett, Zook
The Packers have inquired on 49ers run game coordinator Mike McDaniel in their search for a new offensive coordinator, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. However, San Francisco already denied permission for the Cardinals to interview McDaniel for their OC job, and it’s likely the Niners will do the same if Green Bay officially comes calling. McDaniel, who is extremely familiar with the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay offense, served as an offensive assistant for the Falcons from 2015-16 while new Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Atlanta’s quarterbacks coach.
Here’s more from Green Bay:
- While McDaniel may not be an option for the Packers, he’s not the only option LaFleur are considering. Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is also on Green Bay’s radar, per Tim Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The Packers could have competition within the NFC North, as Hackett is reportedly also in the mix for the Lions’ open offensive coordinator position. Hackett called plays in Jacksonville for parts of three seasons before being fired in November.
- The Packers will not retain special teams coordinator Ron Zook, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Zook, a former collegiate head coach at both Florida and Illinois, joined Green Bay in 2014 and took over as the club’s ST coach the following year. 2018 wasn’t a banner year for the Packers’ special teams crew, as the unit ranked 28th in Football Outsiders‘ special teams ratings, including dead last on punt returns. Bengals assistant special teams coach Brayden Coombs could potentially be a candidate to replace Zook, a source tells Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
- The Vikings have “vetted” Packers offensive line coach James Campen for the same position, according to Silverstein (Twitter link). Campen finished his playing career in Green Bay and has been a coach there since 2004. At this point, it’s unclear if LaFleur wants to retain Campen, but he’s expected to have offers if he’s not kept on the Packers’ staff. Minnesota also received permission to interview former Packers interim head coach Joe Philbin for their offensive line gig.