Offense has been the Denver Broncos’ biggest deficiency since the team’s victory in Super Bowl 50.
Since the Broncos walked off the field champions, the team has been unable to establish a flow on offense, cycling through several quarterbacks and coaches through the last few seasons.
Denver opted to revamp their entire coaching staff last offseason when they hired Vic Fangio as head coach. Fangio then hired Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator, and poached San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello from Kyle Shannahn’s coaching staff to run the offense.
Scangarello was widely regarded as a mastermind on offense and was hired to bring new life into the Broncos offense, which now featured former Super Bowl MVP, Joe Flacco.
Denver struggled out of the gate this season, losing their first four games. The Broncos’ offense was stagnant and disappointing as the team failed to score more than 20 points in their first three games.
Mixed in with the Broncos’ poor play was questionable play-calling and a lack of execution from Denver’s offense that is led by Scangarello.
Flacco looked dazed and confused in the pocket, rookie tight end Noah Fant was a drop machine, and offensive lineman Garrett Bolles crippled the team with holding penalties.
After a brutal loss to the Indianapolis Colts, news broke that Flacco was out for the season with a neck injury, which meant the Broncos would have to shift to Brandon Allen at quarterback.
While Denver was able to secure a victory versus the Browns with Allen at the helm, the Broncos offense was still struggling, led by the poor execution from Scangarello’s playbook.
Fans and media were quick to jump on Scangarello’s offense for lack of production; however, there has been an improvement in the last two weeks after yet another quarterback swap.
Denver inserted second-round draft choice, Drew Lock, as the team’s starting quarterback following their bye week, and he has since led the Broncos to back-to-back victories.
Lock and Scangarello have worked well together, compiling 617 yards of offense and 61 points in the last two games.
The Broncos recent stretch of play has hushed critics that have suggested Denver could cut ties with Scangarello following this season, considering the lackluster results.
However, it appears Denver has decided to put an end to any speculation around the situation as KOA’s Benjamin Allbright reports Scangarello will be back with the orange and blue next season.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/1204508410416226304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnfl%2Fbroncos%2Fnews%2Frich-scangarello-to-return-for-second-year-with-denver-broncos-in-2020%2F
Denver has averaged just 303.1 total yards of offense and 18.2 points per game this season under Scangarello, two figures that rank within the bottom 10 of the league.
Scangarello is in his first season as an NFL coordinator and has struggled to get the most out of a Broncos’ offense that has not lived up to expectation.
That said, there has been some growth as Lock looks like he could be a steady option at quarterback, Fant has progressed, and Courtland Sutton has emerged as a top-flight receiver.
The Broncos have a blueprint in place to revive their offense and will be up to Scangarello to right the ship and get the team on track through the end of this season and into the new decade.