Report: Broncos Hire Two Linebacker Coaches
The Denver Broncos are quickly getting their coaching ducks in a row. After the Vance Joseph news broke (he's returning to Denver as defensive coordinator), several additional coaching hires have been announced.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos have hired a pair of coaches to preside over inside and outside linebackers. Tom Pelissero reported that the Broncos are hiring Greg Manusky to coach the inside linebackers, while 9NEWS' Mike Klis reported that Michael Wilhoite will coach the outside 'backers.
Manusky, 56, coached the Minnesota Vikings' inside linebackers last season. He has four stops on his NFL resume as a defensive coordinator, though the last time he held that position was with the Washington Commanders from 2017-19.
As for Wilhoite, the former NFL linebacker joined the coaching ranks with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 under Sean Payton as a special teams assistant. The next year, Payton moved Wilhoite to the defensive side of the ball to assist for a season.
Wilhoite then accepted a promotion with the Los Angeles Chargers to coach linebackers from 2021-22. Wilhoite worked under one of Vic Fangio's defensive proteges in Chargers head coach Brandon Staley. Now Wilhoite reunites with Payton in the Mile High City.
Both coaches have their work cut out for them, but especially Wilhoite. The Broncos received solid inside linebacker production last season from the tackling machine Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell, but the former is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
If Singleton departs in free agency, Manusky could turn to Jonas Griffith to start next to Jewell. Jewell posted a career-high 128 combined tackles last year, while Singleton led the team with a whopping 163.
The outside linebackers didn't fair so well last year, especially after Bradley Chubb was traded away. Wilhoite will be tasked with getting better production from the oft-injured Randy Gregory and, hopefully, completing the development of 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto.
It will be interesting to see how Joseph and his two new linebacker coaches view Baron Browning. Will Browning remain as an outside linebacker — where he played last year — or return to the inside where he debuted as a rookie?
Time will tell. But with the addition of new strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, the hope is that the Broncos will be better fortified against the ravages of the injury bug, which definitely impacted the team's inability to generate edge pressure last season.
If Gregory can stay healthy, based on his talent alone, Wilhoite would have one bonafide rush linebacker to build around while the Broncos figure out what's what with Bonitto, Browning, and Jonathon Cooper.
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