2019 Denver Broncos, A New Coach

On Wednesday, the Broncos ended their coaching search by tapping Vic Fangio as the 17th head coach in the history of the franchise. He succeeds Vance Joseph, another defensive-minded guy, who coached for two seasons, compiling an 11–21 record before being relieved of his duties.

Fangio, 60, brings a lot of NFL experience and a no-nonsense attitude, though it’s his first stint as a head coach. He’s been an NFL defensive assistant or defensive coordinator since 1986, including a successful stretch as DC for the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 followed by four years with the Bears. He was instrumental in helping the terrific Bears’ defense spur the team to a 12–4 record and NFC North title this season.

He was also clear, right away, during his introductory press conference Thursday that he plans to address and clean up mental lapses immediately, and not let them continue repeatedly, a problem that dogged the Broncos in 2017 and 2018.

“When you see a small misdemeanor crime, that’s an inch crime, you correct it,’’ Fangio said. “[If] a player walks in, say, 30 seconds late, 45 seconds late, that act in and of itself really has no impact on whether you’re going to win or lose that week, but if you let it slide, the next day there’s two or three guys late or went from 30 seconds to two minutes and it causes an avalanche of problems. And that’s death by inches.’’

And in Denver, Fangio will inherit a good core on defense. He worked with Khalil Mack in Chicago, helping deploy his skills in a way that earned him First Team All Pro recognition. In Denver, he’ll get Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller and stand out rookie Bradley Chubb. And Fangio is already excited about that prospect, calling Miller, “one of the great players in this league.”

In addition to Chubb and Miller, the Broncos have a pair of young safeties, Justin Simmons and Will Parks, Pro Bowl corner Chris Harris, Jr., and rookies Josey Jewell and Isaac Yiadom all returning next season. The Broncos have some questions to consider whether high-priced veterans like Derek Wolfe, Brandon Marshall, and Darian Stewart will return, and they have key free agents like Bradley Roby, Domata Peko, Tremaine Brock, Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett that will have to be re-signed or replaced. Still, Fangio should help bring some teeth back to the Broncos, a unit that has been the teams’ best since the Super Bowl in 2015.

But what about the offense? Well, that’s where Gary Kubiak comes in. Kubiak has been a head coach twice, including two years for the Broncos in 2015, when they won the Super Bowl, and 2016. And after a stint in the front office, he’ll return to the sidelines to take over the Broncos’ offense. This could mean good things, as Kubiak was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator before during successful runs under coach Mike Shanahan. He’ll also bring a veteran presence and experience to the offensive side of the ball.

And the Broncos need to improve on offense. But they have a strong core with the great rookies of 2018 — Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman at running back, Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton at receiver — all back. They also still have Devontae Booker and Emmanuel Sanders under contract, and have Jake Butt returning at TE. But the Broncos have some key free agents, including Tim Patrick and Jeff Heuerman, and some big questions on offensive line where Max Garcia, Jared Veldheer and Matt Paradis are all free agents.

The biggest question, however, comes at quarterback. The Broncos still have Case Keenum at quarterback, and both GM John Elway and Fangio gave lukewarm endorsements to him as the starter. But aside from newly signed Garrett Grayson, he’s the only QB on the roster. And Kubiak might be able to help him thrive more than he did in his first year with the team. Kubiak originally drafted Keenum while with the Texans, and helped bring him to the Broncos while working in the front office. 

While the Broncos solved the coaching question, they have plenty of questions to answer heading into this 2019 off-season. They have holes to fill in free agency and need another good draft, as they had in 2018, to rebuild the depth and talent on the roster. But at least they have the men in place to help get this turned around after the team missed the playoffs two years in a row for the first time since the 1970s.