Broncos hire John Pagano to coach Miller, Chubb, outside linebackers

The Denver Broncos hired Colorado native John Pagano to coach their outside linebackers position, which features two of the best players on the team.

According to Mike Klis, the Denver Broncos are hiring Colorado native John Pagano to coach their outside linebackers position, which features two of the best players on the team in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

The Broncos lost their previous outside linebackers coach — Brandon Staley — earlier in the offseason when the Los Angeles Rams hired him to replace the great Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator.

Actually, considering the Broncos didn’t make wholesale changes to their coaching staff this offseason until firing offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello in favor of Pat Shurmur, I almost forgot about the fact that there was a vacancy at the outside linebacker coach position.

Pagano is a highly regarded coach in the NFL today who is now making his third stop in the AFC West after previously working as an assistant head coach/defensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders and before that a longtime assistant and coordinator with the San Diego Chargers (2002-2016).

Most recently, he was working as a senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach with the Houston Texans.

This is not the first time Pagano and Broncos head coach Vic Fangio have worked together, either. They were on the Indianapolis Colts’ staff together from 1999-2001 when Fangio was the Colts’ defensive coordinator.

Pagano brings 24 years of NFL coaching experience to the Broncos, adding to a staff that is absolutely loaded with guys who have been in the league for a really long time. It’s a significant shift from what the Broncos’ staff was over the last couple years, with at least a mix of newer coaches or younger coaches. This staff still has some of that, but it’s a veteran-laden staff with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.

It is going to be really fun to see how it all works out.

John Pagano is the brother of Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. Just about a year ago, Chuck was one of the finalists for the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job before he replaced Fangio in Chicago as a consolation.

Now, his brother going to be coaching the Broncos’ outside linebackers.

The Broncos’ coaching staff and front office now appear to be finalized ahead of the team’s plan to attack the roster and free agency preparations on Monday after Super Bowl LIV.