Broncos fire six of the assistants
A 5-11 season can rarely pass without significant changes, so although Broncos coach Vance Joseph was told he is safe for another season, many of his assistants were shown the door.
The Broncos began the process swiftly Monday and parted with six coaches: specialteams coordinator Brock Olivo, assistant head coach and running backs Eric Studesville, longtime wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, outside linebackers coach Fred Pagac, offensive line coach Jeff Davidson and assistant defensive backs coach Johnnie Lynn.
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was retained, and Bill Musgrave will stay on as offensive coordinator.
The Broncos’ special teams under first-year coordinator Olivo had issues throughout the year, putting his job in jeopardy long before the season ended. Special teams reached peak disarray in a home game against the New England Patriots in which the unit committed four gaffes en route to another loss.
Denver shuffled through punt returners as rookie Isaiah McKenzie — an undersized wide receiver drafted for his speed and return ability — muffed six punts and lost two, and was demoted, promoted and demoted again before Jordan Taylor closed out the year. Kicker Brandon McManus struggled with accuracy to start the season and finished with eight missed field goals (24-of32), and the Broncos’ two blocked punts allowed were tied for most in the NFL.
Studesville, the longesttenured Broncos coach on the staff, joined the team in 2010 as the running backs coach and served as the interim head coach that year when Josh McDaniels was fired. Prior to the 2017 season, after interviewing to become to the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator, Studesville opted to stay in Denver and was promoted to assistant head coach.
His firing is perhaps the biggest surprise of the Broncos’ moves thus far as he endured four head coaching changes and worked with four offensive coordinators while in Denver. In his eight seasons with the team, Studesville coached two Pro Bowl running backs in Willis McGahee (2008) and C.J. Anderson (2014) and guided three Broncos players to 1,000-yard rushing seasons: McGahee (2011), Knowshon Moreno (2013) and Anderson (2017).
With Studesville being one of the most respected coaches by Broncos players and others throughout the league, his departure was met with dismay on social media by Anderson, who added that he is “so thankful to be (coached) by an amazing man.”
Tolbert had been with the Broncos since 2011, general manager John Elway‘s first year as an executive, and helped the offense through multiple coaching and scheme changes. In Tolbert’s seven seasons with the Broncos, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas recorded at least 90 catches and 1,000 receiving yards for five consecutive seasons (2012-16). Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for seven Pro Bowl selections and two all-pro designations under Tolbert’s watch.
Davidson, a Broncos draft pick in 1990, joined Joseph’s staff last January and reunited with former coordinator Mike McCoy. Davidson previously worked with McCoy on the staffs of the San Diego Chargers (offensive line) and Carolina Panthers (offensive coordinator). When McCoy was fired this season after 10 games, it seemed likely that Davidson could be gone, too, at season’s end, even though the offensive line saw marked improvement from 2016.
Pagac was hired as part of former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips‘ defensive staff in 2015 and quickly became a favorite of linebacker Von Miller’s. Pagac worked with DeMarcus Ware in the final years of his sure-to-be Hall of Fame career, helped Miller rise from great to elite and oversaw the growth of Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett.
“Personally, for me, Coach Pug has been one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” Miller said after the Broncos’ 27-24 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. “(Chargers linebackers) Coach (Richard) Smith and Coach Pug are right there together. It will be unfortunate to let Coach Pug leave. I feel like he’s a part of me. Coach Pug, I’ve been working with him, and he’s really seen me develop as a player. He knows me.”
Lynn arrived in Denver with 28 years of playing and coaching experience and previously worked with Joseph on the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive staff (2006-10). Lynn worked under Broncos defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who was retained in the wave of coaching changes.