Welcome back to a special postseason edition of Around the AFC West. I had a brief hiatus as I just got married (had to throw it in there) but we’re back to see what has happened around the West in recent weeks and preview the upcoming AFC Championship Game which has—finally!—an AFC West team represented, one that we all love. Let’s get to it.
DENVER BRONCOS
The Denver Broncos ended their season with a dismal 6-10 record which led to the firing of head coach Vance Joseph. Joseph has since been replaced by Vic Fangio. Fangio is a defensive mind having spent his most recent NFL career years as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014 and defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2015-2018.
Additionally, the Broncos added Mike Munchak as the team’s offensive line coach, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers after five years. They also added former Chicago Bears assistant Brandon Staley as the new outside linebackers coach. Rumors are circulating today that the offensive and defensive coordinators could soon be hired as well as Rich Scangarello (OC) and Ed Donatell (DC) are interviewing today.
The much-needed changes to the Broncos coaching staff have finally come. The poor performance of the offense coupled with losing seasons under Joseph yielded the need for change. Given the strength of the 2018 draft class, Fangio will have a number of weapons to work within the coming years. It looks like a good shake up this offseason will yield results for the Broncos down the line. I look at the Broncos as being a contender in a few years if they can figure out their quarterback situation.