The Denver Broncos area cleaning house following the firing of head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday, less than 24 hours after the team’s terrible 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Among the coaches let go was offensive line coach Butch Barry.
Through 15 games this season, the Broncos have surrendered 57 sacks, the most in the league this season. In comparison, the least-sacked team has been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, surrendering just 19 sacks this year. By the way, the Broncos average 3.8 sacks allowed per game.
Ouch.
After the 2021 season, the Broncos let go of Hall of Fame offensive lineman-turned-offensive line coach Mike Munchak following a three-year stint. At the time of his hiring, Munchak was considered the best at his job. He was with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2014-2018 where he excelled before hopping to Denver. I remember Steelers fans were very upset about his departure.
While he was with Denver, Munchak helped develop and ultimately transform Garett Bolles into a top left tackle. Bolles didn’t get all the credit he deserved because of the number of good tackles in the league, but the difference Munchak made was night and day.
The Denver Broncos need to have continuity. I was surprised they had let go of special teams coach Dwayne Stukes. I was surprised of the Munchak firing last year.
It is no secret the Broncos need to revamp their offensive line. Unfortunately, Bolles has missed every game since breaking his leg in early October. Who knows what he will be like once he returns next season. But he was a really bad player prior to Munchak’s arrival.
Munchak is still being paid by the Broncos, as do all fired coaches if they are let go before their contract is up.
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It remains to be seen what the offensive line will look like next year as a unit but hiring Munchak back seems like a logical move.