Reports: Packers Assistant Justin Outten to Become New Broncos OC
The Denver Broncos are expected to hire Green Bay Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten as its next offensive coordinator.
Media reports indicated Tuesday that the Broncos have offered the job to Outten and a formal announcement is forthcoming.
"According to a source, the #Broncos are offering the Denver offensive coordinator job to #Packers TE coach Justin Outten with official word expected soon," NBC Milwaukee's Lance Allan tweeted.
"LaFleur likely has two positions to fill on his staff: QBs (to replace Luke Getsy) and TEs (to replace Justin Outten once he's officially named OC in Denver.)" echoed Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
On Sunday, citing Silverstein, 9News' Mike Klis reported "all signs point" to Outten reuniting with former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, now Denver's head coach. An interview subsequently was requested and approved.
Outten recently completed his third season in Green Bay, overseeing the development of TEs Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and Dominique Dafney. His laudables include Tonyan's 11-touchdown 2020 campaign in which Tonyan became a favorite target of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Outten's resume also includes a three-year stint in Atlanta — first as a coaching intern (2016), then as an offensive assistant coach (2017-18) — where he overlapped with incumbent Broncos TEs coach Wade Harman. It's unclear whether Hackett will retain Harman, a holdover from the Vic Fangio era, on his 2022 staff.
Assuming the Ts are crossed and Is dotted, Outten will have beaten out the only other known candidate for the Broncos' gig: Chargers TEs coach Kevin Koger. In reality, he was Hackett's third choice after former Packers QBs coach Luke Getsy left for Chicago and Green Bay promoted offensive line coach Adam Stenvavich.
“Again, we’re going to work through all of that stuff," Hackett said in his Jan. 28 introductory press conference of pipelining coaches. "They’re all Packers' assistants. There’s a whole process we have to go through and it’s great actually learning about the process through how they have done everything they did with me. It’s great how we have those processes, and we’ll get through all of those.”
In Denver, Outten will manage an underachieving yet talent-rich unit anchored at every spot — from running back (Javonte Williams) to wide receiver (Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler) to tight end (Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam) and offensive line (Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz) — except under center.
But his arrival, coupled with the presence of Hackett, who will call plays on offense, further enhances the possibility that Rodgers completes the triumvirate, solving Denver's longstanding problem at the sport's most important position.
Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
