Broncos focused on 'young' candidates in coaching search

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – For the third time since taking over as general manager of the Denver Broncos in 2011, John Elway is embarking on a search to hire a new head coach.

And for the first time, Elway might break from tradition and hire someone without previous head coaching experience. His first two hires, John Fox in 2011 and Gary Kubiak in 2015, were each veteran head coaches.

“Obviously there’s a lot of young guys out there that look like they have a lot of potential,” Elway said Monday. “Hopefully we can get one of those.”

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That quote was telling as the search gets underway. The are Broncos expected to interview a slew of candidates, including Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who was a teenager living in Denver while his father, Mike, coached the Broncos to two Super Bowl championships in the 1990s. Other potential candidates include Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay.

The new head coach will be allowed to decide which of Kubiak’s assistants will be retained, though Elway said he was hopeful many of them will remain. The Broncos’ defensive staff was especially impressive, though coordinator Wade Phillips' contract expired after the 2016 season.

Whomever Elway picks will be tasked with fixing an offense that struggled in 2016. That includes making a decision at quarterback. Elway said incumbent starter Trevor Siemian and first-round pick Paxton Lynch will compete for the starting job in the offseason and training camp.

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In many coaching searches, teams try to hire someone with opposite features of the departing head coach. In this case, while the Broncos could go for someone younger than Kubiak, Elway is hoping to find someone with similar personality traits.

“In today's world in dealing with players, it's a different game now than it used to be. There's a lot to that and a lot more to that in terms of dealing with the different personalities and kids today. Because everyone is so close, so much of it is the relationship that goes on in that locker room and the relationship they have with the head coach. Being able to motivate a football team and being on the same page with the football team, I think is as important as anything,” Elway said. “Obviously you want a guy that can manage people, and knows what he wants to do on the offensive side as well as the defensive side, but also can manage coaches and manage players, which I think is the biggest part of that job these days.”

The new coach also will need to have a good relationship with Elway, who will be joined in the search by team president Joe Ellis and director of player personnel Matt Russell. Elway’s presence should make the Denver job an attractive one, Ellis said, because of his track record of being aggressive in free agency and the winning culture Elway has created in Denver. But Elway is also a demanding boss, one who just two years ago fired Fox after four division titles and one AFC championship.

“We've done a lot here recently to make this a very good place to come to work,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the Broncos are also working to extend Elway’s contract, which currently runs through 2017. Negotiations began in October and are ongoing.

“I'm optimistic that we'll get something done,” Ellis said.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

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