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The Denver Broncos officially have hired their next offensive coordinator. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Broncos have hired Green Bay Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten to be their new offensive coordinator.
Broncos hired former Packers’ TE coach Justin Outten as their offensive coordinator, per source.
Mike Klis of 9news reported Outten has already been on the job since Monday.
Justin Outten is the Broncos new OC, and Klint Kubiak is team’s new QB coach/passing game coordinator, sources tell 9news. Both formally interviewed Monday. Outten has has been on the job since. #9sports
Outten is the Broncos’ second hire of the day. Earlier, Klint Kubiak was hired as the new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
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New head coach Nathaniel Hackett seemed to be targeting his former Packers’ colleagues throughout the process. The Broncos requested to interview Packers’ offensive line coach Adam Stenavich. However, the request was denied, and Stenavich was promoted to offensive coordinator in Green Bay.
Justin Outten’s Coaching History
Outten got his first coaching position at Syracuse University, where he was an assistant in 2007. He would go on to coach at Westfield High School in Houston, Texas from 2008 to 2015.
He became an offensive intern for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, and he was an offensive assistant for the team in 2017 and 2018.
Outten has been the Packers’ tight ends coach since 2019. Tight end Robert Tonyan thrived with Outten as tight ends coach.
Tonyan went undrafted in 2017. Eventually, he was signed to Green Bay’s practice squad. In 2020, he had a breakout season with 11 receiving touchdowns.
Tonyan called Outten “the best at what he does”.
As a position coach, you know a lot of guys are just there. J.O. is not [just] there. He’s trying to know the person. He’s trying to know the player. On top on that, he knows what’s going on in all positions of football.
Hackett will ultimately call the plays on offense, but Outten should be involved in the team’s playbook as offensive coordinator.
Outten has been responsible for some creative play calls in the past.
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Packers head coach Matt LeFleur said Outten found this play on tape from other teams running it in the past:
This play deserves awards
One thing to expect from Hackett and Outten’s offense is an increase in motion at the snap. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, the Packers were fifth in the league in motion at the snap rate on dropbacks in 2021.
The Broncos’ Offense Was Underwhelming Last Season
The Broncos were 23rd in the NFL in points per game last season. It is really hard to become a contender when your offense is producing at that level.
In addition, the Broncos were only 19th in the NFL in total yards. Following the season, the Broncos decided to fire offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
The Broncos will rightfully try to fix some of their offensive issues with roster changes, but the coaching changes should have a noticeable impact.
The Broncos do have talented playmakers on their roster such as Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon III, and Noah Fant. Hopefully, Outten can finally maximize the offensive talent on Denver’s roster.