12 former Denver Broncos now with Miami Dolphins in 2023

The Denver Broncos are traveling to Miami for their first road game of the 2023-24 season. They lost their first two games, against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders respectively, and now, they are looking to upset the Dolphins and get their first win of the season.

With that being said, let's take a look at every coaching staff member, and player with the Miami Dolphins who at some point in their careers were a part of the Denver Broncos...

Coaches:

1. Mike McDaniel - Head Coach:

Dolphins offensive genius head coach Mike McDaniel, a Colorado native, started his professional football career with the Denver Broncos. McDaniel was a huge Denver Broncos fan when he was a kid, he played wide receiver in college (Yale) and moved to Denver after his father passed away. He attended every open Broncos practice on his own, by riding a bike from his house to the facility, and eventually ended up being hired as a Ball Boy, when he was 22 years old. Mike Shanahan was the Broncos head coach when McDaniel was hired.

McDaniel then became an assistant coaching intern for Denver, and after one season with the Broncos, was hired by the Houston Texans as an offensive assistant. Now, McDaniel is set to face his hometown team, the team where it all started for him, for the first time in his head coaching career.

2. Vic Fangio - Defensive Coordinator:

Fangio is another Dolphins coach (defensive coordinator) who previously was a part of the Denver Broncos. Fangio worked as a defensive assistant, position coach, and defensive coordinator for a couple of teams for 30+ years, but in 2019, he became an NFL head coach for the first time in his career in Denver. Fangio had a 7-9 win-loss record during his first-ever season as an NFL head coach with Denver. In his second season, the team finished with a 5-11 win-loss record, and had a 7-10 win-loss record in his third and final season with the Denver Broncos, as the team parted ways with him following the 2021-22 season.

3. Butch Barry - Offensive Line Coach:

Butch Barry was the Denver Broncos' offensive line coach in the 2022 season. He worked with Nathaniel Hackett in Green Bay, as a senior analyst, and Hackett got him for his staff in Denver. Barry had one of the worst, if not the worst offensive lines in the league in 2022, as the Broncos were the most sacked team (63). After Hackett was fired following a 14-51 loss against the Rams on Christmas Day, the Broncos also fired Barry, as interim head coach Jerry Rosburg decided to remove him from the coaching staff.

4. Jon Embree - Tight Ends Coach/Assistant Head Coach:

Embree, who is the Dolphins tight ends coach, and assistant head coach was a Denver Broncos' practice squad player in 1990. He played tight end.

5. Kolby Smith - Offensive Assistant Coach:

Like Embree, Smith was also a practice squad player for the Denver Broncos in 2010. Kolby played running back, was claimed off waiver by Denver prior to the 2010 season, and was waived in August, before the regular season.

6. Eric Studesville - Running Backs coach/Associate Head Coach:

Studesville is a guy with a lot of history with the Denver Broncos. He was the running backs coach in 2010 under head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels was fired in midseason, and Eric was named the interim head coach. As the interim head coach, Studesville had a 1-3 win-loss record and was criticized for starting rookie quarterback Tim Tebow, who then became the Broncos starting quarterback and took the team to the playoffs.

Following the 2010 season, the Denver Broncos hired John Fox to be the head coach, but Studesville remained with the team, as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Studesville stayed with the same position from 2011 to 2016, as was the running backs coach for four different head coaches (Josh McDaniels, John Fox, Gary Kubiak, and Vance Joseph), and the offensive coordinator for the last three. Eric Studesville was a Super Bowl 50 champion with Denver.

7. Wes Welker - Wide Receivers Coach:

Wes Welker played wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, in Peyton Manning's first two seasons with the team. Welker had two touchdowns in his debut game with Denver. He was one of the five Broncos' players with at least ten receiving touchdowns in the 2013 season, despite missing a few games. In his second season, Welker had a concussion in preseason and was suspended for the first four games of the season. Welker caught a Manning's touchdown which tied Brett Favre with the most touchdown passes in NFL history. Manning later broke the record.

Welker in two seasons with the Broncos had the following stats: 27 games, 122 receptions, 1,242 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns.

8. Renaldo Hill - Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary Coach:

Renaldo Hill finished his playing career with the Denver Broncos, as he signed with the team in 2009 free agency. Hill played safety and spent two seasons with the Broncos. He played in 31 games, starting every single one of them. He had 122 tackles (98 solo), 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 interceptions, and 10 pass breakups.

9. Ryan Slowik - Outside Linebackers Coach:

Slowik started his coaching career with the Denver Broncos as a defensive assistant. Ryan spent two seasons as a defensive coach and then moved to special teams. Following his only season in special teams, Slowik was moved back to the defense as an assistant defensive backs coach. Slowik spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos.

10. Wade Harman - Senior Assistant:

Harman, who is now a senior assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, was the Denver Broncos' tight ends coach from 2019 to 2021, under Vic Fangio. Former Broncos' first-round pick Noah Fant had over 550 receiving yards in all three seasons with the Broncos under Harman as the TEs coach.

Players:

1. River Cracraft - Wide receiver:

Cracraft was signed to the Broncos' practice squad in 2017, was waived a few days later, and then signed a future/reserve deal. In 2018, River spent the preseason with the Broncos, and in November was signed to the active roster. He was used as a returner. Playing in nine games for the Broncos, he had one reception for 44 yards, 12 punt returns for 40 yards, and 3 kick returns for 43 yards.

2. Bradley Chubb - Edge rusher:

Bradley Chubb started his professional career with the Broncos, he was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Chubb made an instant impact in his first training camp, as was named as one of the two starting edge rushers, alongside Von Miller. As a rookie, Bradley was voted as the 82nd-best player of the season. In his second season, Chubb had a torn ACL. In his third season, Chubb was voted as the 40th-best player of the season and made the Pro Bowl for the first time. In the next season, he had an ankle injury, and during the trade deadline of his fifth season, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Chubb appeared in 49 games for the Broncos and had the following stats: 144 tackles (92 solo), 26.0 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 5 pass breakups, and one interception.