Broncos revamp coaching staff with major changes

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Vance Joseph wasted no time making his presence felt in the Denver Broncos organization. In the waining hours of his first full day on the job, Joseph made major changes to the coaching staff that he inherited, starting at the very top all the way across the board.

The three coordinators that were part of the Super Bowl 50 winning team less than a year ago will not be apart of Joseph’s staff moving forward. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will not be back for the 2017 as a member of the Broncos as he has accepted the same position with the Los Angeles Rams.

Earlier in the day, Joseph stated that Phillips would be considered for the defensive coordinating position in Denver, but Phillips chose to move on amidst uncertainty and turnover in Denver.

It is widely expected that defensive backs coach Joe Woods will be named as Phillips replacement, yet that has not officially happened. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring will also interview for the position.

No other changes have been announced on the defensive side of the ball. While a few more changes could happen, massive overhaul is not expected, as it is with the offense.

To little surprise, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison has been informed he will not be retained after leading an offense that was rather ineffective the past two seasons. After leading the fifth worst offense, in terms of yards per game, Dennison’s departure was widely expected, especially with his ties to his former head coach Gary Kubiak.

Along with Dennsion on the offensive side of the ball, Joseph and the Broncos have informed offensive line coach Clancy Barone, offensive line assistant Jim Cregg and tight end coach Brian Pariani that they will not be back with the team.

For the time being, quarterbacks coach Gregg Knapp and running backs coach Eric Studesville remain on the team and both are very highly respected around the league. Studesville will interview with the New York Jets for their offensive coordinator position in the coming days.

Knapp could be retained to help provide some continuity for the young quarterbacks, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, in their progression. However, McCoy may very well want to bring his own quarterback coach to help develop Siemian and Lynch.

On top of the poor statistical offensive output the past two seasons, on Thursday at Joseph’s introductory press conference, Joseph emphasized that he is looking for coaches who are willing to put the players above the system, something that was criticized this season.

If the offensive and defensive coordinator were not enough, the Broncos will have a new special teams coordinator for the 2017 season. Joe DeCamillis accepted the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. It was expected that DeCamillis would be considered to stay with the Broncos, but he did not want to play the waiting game, instead taking the sure thing in Jacksonville. It is not known who will replace DeCamillis. Special teams assistant Tony Coakum also will not return to the team.

If a new head coach wasn’t enough change, the Broncos completely overhauled their staff. Denver will start the 2017 season with all new coaches across the top lines of the staff. In the coming days it will become more clear who those coaches will be moving forward.