Next 3 moves Broncos must make after firing Vic Fangio
By John Buhler
After three disappointing seasons, the Vic Fangio era of Denver Broncos football is finally over.
The Denver Broncos became the third NFL franchise to enter the offseason head-coaching carousel by firing Vic Fangio on Sunday morning.
Denver went 7-10 in 2021, bringing Fangio’s win/loss record in three years leading the Broncos to an unsatisfactory 19-30. The Broncos never won more than seven games in a season under him. Not since winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 campaign have the Broncos qualified for the AFC playoffs. It all comes back to one thing: The Broncos have to get better at quarterback.
The Broncos also parted ways with ineffective offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. With a new regime on the horizon, here are the next three big moves general manager George Paton must make to give the Broncos their best chance at success before the halfway point of this decade.
Denver Broncos’ next three moves to make after firing Vic Fangio as head coach
1. Hire an offensive-minded head coach to replace Vic Fangio on the sidelines
What the end of the Fangio era of Broncos football signifies is this. Even if they hired an outstanding defensive mind, it was not enough to help overcome the Bronco’s ongoing quarterbacking deficiencies. They even hired a great offensive coordinator and twice-failed NFL head coach Pat Shurmur to try to fix that side of the ball, and that did not even work for them.
Ultimately, Paton knows what he needs to do first. He must hire the right offensive mind to be his next head coach. This guy does not need to be the next Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan or Gary Kubiak; he only needs to be himself. However, he has to be an offensive mind because otherwise it shows the Broncos did not learn anything from the Fangio failures, and Vance Joseph before that.
As for who Denver should target, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has to be at the top of the list. Other candidates may include Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh or former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. Just go hire one of them.
By hiring an offensive-minded head coach, Denver will develop an identity on that side of the ball to hopefully cap their playoff drought well before it reaches a decade in length.