MUNCHAK WILL COACH BRONCOS’ OFFENSIVE LINE
Pro Football Hall of Famer Munchak takes reins as offensive line coach
Mike Munchak agreed to terms with the Broncos on Monday to serve as their offensive line coach.
Munchak, a Pro Football Hall of Fame player and former Tennessee Titans head coach, was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line coach the last five years, but his contract was set to expire this offseason. He was the runner-up to Vic Fangio for the Broncos’ head coaching job.
In a statement released by the team, Fangio said: “There’s nobody better as an offensive line coach than Mike Munchak. The combination of his ability to coach the individual with his ability to coach the group — while also being a big part of the overall offense — is very impressive. Mike’s experience and stature as a coach make this a home run hire for us.”
Interviewed by general manager John Elway and other Broncos executives Jan. 4 at the team facility, Munchak will bring more than 30 years of NFL playing and coaching experience to Fangio’s staff. Munchak has family in the Denver area, which is believed to have played a large role in his desire to leave Pittsburgh.
Also on Monday, the San Francisco 49ers granted quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello permission to interview for the Broncos’ offensive coordinator post Tuesday. The 49ers declined the request Friday.
Scangarello will be the first candidate to meet with Fangio for the position.
In another development, Broncos senior personnel advisor Gary Kubiak joined the Minnesota Vikings, per the NFL Network. The Broncos granted Kubiak permission to pursue other opportuni- ties after he was removed from consideration for the coordinator position last week.
Scangarello, 46, has never called plays in the NFL and has not worked with Fangio. He was an offensive coordinator at four colleges: UC Davis, Millsaps (Miss.) College, Northern Arizona and Wagner (N.Y.) College. He coached a year apiece with the Oakland Raiders (2009) and Atlanta Falcons (2015) before joining Kyle Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco before the 2017 season.
That the 49ers relented and allowed Scangarello to meet with the Broncos could be viewed as a sign he is Fangio’s first choice.
If the Broncos hire Scangarello, he will be able to lean on Munchak, who played for the Houston Oilers from 1982-93 and has been a coach since 1994.
The Broncos’ interest in Munchak to coach the offensive line could have contributed to them and Kubiak not getting on the same page, because Kubiak was likely committed to having Rick Dennison as his line coach.
A league source said the Jaguars asked and received permission from the Broncos on Friday to reach out to Kubiak to gauge his interest and he was going to interview with Jacksonville on Tuesday. But he struck a deal with the Vikings, where he will assist new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
Kubiak has been out of coaching since stepping down as the Broncos’ head coach in January 2017, citing health issues. Departing for Minnesota ends Kubiak’s fourth stint with the Broncos. He was a player from 1983-91, an assistant coach from 1995-2005 (two Super Bowl titles), the head coach in 2015-16 (one Super Bowl title) and a front-office executive in 2018.