DENVER – The Denver Broncos will hold a news conference at noon Thursday to officially introduce new head coach Vic Fangio to the Mile High City.
News broke Wednesday morning that the longtime defensive coordinator had reached a four-year deal with the Broncos.
Fangio has spent 32 years working for NFL teams. This is his first head coaching job.
Wednesday afternoon, multiple reports also said that Broncos front office assistant and former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak would return to the coaching staff as offensive coordinator.
Kubiak stepped down as head coach following the 2016 season due to health concerns. He coached the Broncos to their 2015 Super Bowl.
Fangio coached one of the NFL’s best defenses this season with the Bears, and he’ll take over a team with a lot of defensive talent in Denver.
Fangio took over as defensive coordinator with the Bears in 2014, seeing his unit improve steadily during his time as coach. When he took over, the Bears ranked 30th out of 32 teams in the NFL when it came to total yardage allowed. In 2018, the Bears ranked third in that defensive category. The Bears also allowed the fewest points in the NFL in 2018 under Fangio’s direction.
He previously served as a defensive coordinator with multiple teams around the league, including the San Francisco 49ers under Jim Harbaugh. He also called the defense for the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Fangio replaces Vance Joseph, who won just 11 of his 32 games in his two seasons as Broncos coach. Joseph never reached the postseason.
The biggest questions about the Broncos moving forward lie on the offensive side of the football, especially at the quarterback position.
It’s not clear at this time if the team will keep Case Keenum on the roster, pursue a trade, or draft a young quarterback in the NFL Draft.
