In his first task as head coach, Josh McDaniels may conjure up ex-Broncos to fill his coordinator positions.
Mike Nolan, the former San Francisco 49ers head coach who was part of Dan Reeves’ defensive staff in Denver from 1987-92, has agreed to become the Broncos’ new defensive coordinator once contract details are finalized.
“I have talked to Mike Nolan but nothing’s official yet,” McDaniels said at his introductory press conference Monday.
Both Nolan and McDaniels have coached for teams that run the 3-4 system. The Broncos have been mostly running out of the 4-3 set for the past 25-plus years.
McDaniels also will need an offensive coordinator. With the Broncos going offense with their head coach, the team’s current offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison, is shopping his services elsewhere.
Dennison interviewed Monday for the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator position, according to two NFL sources. Dennison was one of seven candidates interviewed for the Broncos’ head coaching job that went to now former New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator McDaniels, who received a four-year contract.
Should Dennison coach elsewhere in 2009, one possible replacement would be former Broncos’ offensive lineman Jeff Davidson.
Davidson worked with McDaniels on the Patriots’ offensive staff in 2004 and is now the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator.
Davidson was the Broncos’ fifth-round draft pick in 1990 and started all 16 games at left tackle in 1991 and left guard in 1992.
