Former Broncos play-caller now guiding potential No. 1 pick Caleb Williams

USC quarterback Caleb Williams officially declared for the NFL Draft on Monday. Even with the availability of NIL money, the decision came as no surprise; most prognosticators have Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, projected to be the No. 1 overall pick.

But what was a bit of a surprise was the coach who is guiding him: former Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero posted a video of Caleb Williams working out with Scangarello on the Twitter/X platform.

Potential No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has already begun pre-draft training run by former NFL QB coach Rich Scangarello, whom he met years ago through @QBCollective. Getting ready to hit the ground running as a pro. pic.twitter.com/XOUVCEKvwA

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 15, 2024

Scangarello served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator during the 2019 season, a year in which the team cycled through three quarterbacks: Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen and, finally, Drew Lock. The offense struggled for much of the campaign, finishing 28th in both scoring offense and total offense.

At one point, a frustrated Flacco vented to media about the lack of tactical aggressiveness late in what would be a 15-13 loss to Indianapolis; the Broncos chose not to attack, instead punting the ball back to the Colts, who drove to the game-winning field goal in the final moments.

Then-head-coach Vic Fangio dismissed Scangarello after the season, replacing him with Pat Shurmur. The Broncos finished in the bottom half of the league in scoring and total offense in each of Shurmur’s two seasons before he, too, was fired.

Scangarello spent the 2023 season out of football, although he continues to work with the QB Collective, the Mike Shanahan-founded program that runs camps devoted to developing quarterbacks. His last coaching job was at the University of Kentucky, where he served as offensive coordinator during the 2022 campaign.

Despite having Will Levis at his disposal at UK, Scangarello’s offense foundered. The Wildcats averaged 17.5 points per game in Southeastern Conference play, and the program dismissed Scangarello after the season. After that underwhelming campaign, Levis slipped into the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, when the Tennessee Titans selected him. But Levis looked more like a first-round pick when he stepped into action during his rookie season.

Now, Scangarello will turn his focus to Caleb Williams.