FORMER UTEP BOSS FIRST NEW HIRE
One coaching vacancy is filled.
The Broncos on Wednesday hired former University of Texas-El Paso coach Sean Kugler to coach their offensive line, an NFL source confirmed.
Kugler, a New York native, has coached at the college and professional level for 24 years and served as the offensive line coach at Boise State in 2006 when former Bronco Ryan Clady starred at tackle. Boise State, coached by Chris Petersen that year, went 13-0 and defeated Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Kugler was succeeded at Boise State by Chris Strausser, who coached Broncos center Matt Paradis in college and was hired last year as Denver’s assistant offensive line coach. (Strausser was previously the associate head coach/offensive line at the University of Washington under Petersen.)
A former offensive lineman himself, Kugler signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1989 and had a brief stint in the now-defunct World League of American Football in 1991.
Kugler began his coaching career in 1990 at the high school level in Florida, before spending eight seasons as a position coach at UTEP. In 2001 he joined the NFL, coaching the tight ends and later the offensive line for the Detroit Lions for five seasons.
One year at Boise State (assistant head coach/offensive line) was followed by three (2007-09) with the Buffalo Bills, where he worked with nine-time Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters, and three more as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line coach (2010-12), helping them to Super Bowl XLV.
Kugler stepped down as UTEP’s head coach after an 0-5 start this season.
Former Broncos offensive line coach Jeff Davidson was one of six assistant coaches fired Monday.
Broncos headed to Alabama.
Coach Vance Joseph’s staff will lead the North team of the Senior Bowl, held Jan. 27 in Mobile, Ala., while the Houston Texans‘ staff guides the South team.
“We jumped at the op- portunity for the Broncos to work the Senior Bowl,” Broncos general manager John Elway said in a statement. “On both the coaching and personnel sides, the experience gives us a chance to meet these prospects and get to know them on and off the field.
“The Senior Bowl has a great tradition and we are excited to be a part of it.”
One of those prospects is Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. The Oklahoma quarterback accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl in December and will be one prospect the Broncos look at closely for their No. 5 pick.
Pay bump.
The Broncos have two players drafted in rounds 3-7 in 2015 who earned performance escalators: quarterback Trevor Siemian and guard Max Garcia. Both will have base salaries of about $1.9 million in 2018, though the actual amount is dependent on the salary cap that will be set in March.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, the proven performance escalator, or PPE, can be earned in the fourth year of a drafted player’s rookie contract by either playing 35 percent of team’s snaps on offense or defense in two of the player’s first three seasons, or 35 percent “cumulative average” of the team’s snaps in his first three years.
The extra salary is not guaranteed and does not count against the team’s salary cap.
On the mend.
Siemian underwent surgery on his left shoulder in Los Angeles and is expected to return to Denver on Friday. The surgery was his second in two years on the same shoulder.