Broncos hire McCoy for offensive coordinator, Musgrave for QB coach

The offensive overhaul for the Denver Broncos appears to be underway.

Just a day after the team introduced Vance Joseph as its 16th head coach in franchise history, the club made it official with Mike McCoy, bringing in the former San Diego Chargers head coach as offensive coordinator.

It’s a return to Denver for McCoy, who was the offensive coordinator for the club from 2009 to 2012, after being let go by the Chargers in 2016 after four seasons.

McCoy’s hiring comes as part of sweeping changes under new head coach Vance Joseph to bring energy and flexibility to an offensive unit that was an anemic 27th in total offense in 2016.

“Mike is an experienced play caller who can build a system around our players,” Joseph said via a team release Friday. “It was our goal to find an offensive coordinator who has flexibility with his scheme, and Mike has done that as both a head coach and coordinator. He’s had a lot of success in this league with many different styles of offense, including here with the Broncos.

“Mike will bring energy and creativity to our offense, and we’re excited to welcome him back to Denver.”

During his tenure in San Diego, McCoy’s offenses ranked ninth in the league in total offense (365.9) and second in third-down percentage (44.6). And in three of the past five seasons, McCoy’s offenses have finished in the top-10 of the NFL, at a pace of 373.3 yards per game, and produced eight Pro Bowlers.

McCoy coached Peyton Manning to an NFL Comeback Player of the Year honor in 2012, the quarterback’s first year in Denver, and composed a Tim Tebow-led offense that netted nearly 1,200 yards rushing and a playoff win in 2010.

Shortly after the team officially announced McCoy’s hire, Joseph announced the club would be bringing in former Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Musgrave, who was raised in Grand Junction and played for the Broncos from 1995 to 1996, had been scheduled to interview for the offensive coordinator position Friday but will instead join McCoy as part of a revamped offensive coaching staff.

Last season in Oakland, Musgrave coached the Raiders to the No. 6 offense in the NFL, with quarterback Derek Carr among the MVP conversation for most of the year.

Musgrave also led the Raiders to the biggest offensive improvement in the NFL in yards per game (91.1) and scoring (10.2 points per game) in his two seasons calling plays.

And with the pair of offensive minds coming together, it’s a step for the so-called defensive-minded Joseph to bring some “swagger” to the Broncos offense.

“I want to score points. Points win. Obviously, defense wins championships, but you have to score points,” Joseph said Thursday during his introductory press conference.

In 2016, the Broncos ranked No. 27 in the NFL in total offense (5,169 yards) and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010 despite a top-5 defensive effort.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.