Broncos are '100% Committed' to Vic Fangio For 2021 per Denver Insider

Will Vic Fangio be back next season?

Despite the injuries that derailed the Denver Broncos' season early on, Vic Fangio has at times shined as a head coach. There have been a few faux pas, including Fangio's clock management at the end of Week 1 that all but gave Tennessee the come-back win. 

For the most part, though, Fangio has made lemonade with the lemons the 2020 season has given him. The bottom line is, most teams don't survive turnover at the quarterback position, especially when it comes in the first quarter of the season. 

With how high the expectations were for the Broncos in 2020, I wonder at times what a different head coach could have done with this team, even in the face of the key injuries. But it's hard to castigate Fangio for the Broncos' current 4-7 predicament when A.) the team is exceedingly young and B.) he's lost so many of his best players. 

The Broncos team brass seem to view 2020 as a 'Mulligan' type season for Fangio. We learned early last week from KOARadio's Benjamin Allbright that any rumor of Fangio being on the hot seat is unfounded. 

Denver7's Troy Renck got even more specific in his reporting on the topic. 

"All of my sources have told me they're 100% committed to Fangio for next season," Renck reported on Saturday. 

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Fangio led the Broncos to a 7-9 finish in his maiden season as head coach. It was a one-game improvement over Vance Joseph's final campaign the year prior. What made it a relatively impressive 7-9 was the fact that Fangio respectably weathered the storm of a QB carousel. 

However, Fangio's first year might not have finished on so positive a note if Drew Lock isn't given the reins in Week 13. Taking over a 3-8 team, the rookie Lock would lead the Broncos to a 4-1 finish. 

At season's end, GM John Elway credited Lock for the Broncos' strong finish, citing the young QB's impact and influence in the locker room as evidence that the team had finally "bounced off the bottom." In the offseason, Elway acted in accordance with a GM that is 'all-in' on his young QB, investing heavily in the offense in both free agency and the NFL draft. 

With the offensive nest well-built, and with a talented defense guided by Fangio, hopes were high that indeed, the Broncos had begun their rise from the NFL doldrums. Then the pandemic hit, which erased 1,500 reps between OTAs and the preseason being canceled, and led to a massive increase in player injuries. 

The Broncos have been the team most inordinately affected by the injury bug, which, again, was a byproduct of the pandemic-impacted offseason/preseason. Lock getting hurt in Week 2 was the insult to injury, which completely torpedoed Fangio's opportunity to make something of 2020 and fulfill those optimistic offseason expectations. 

Lock returned in Week 6 but the time away, as well as any lingering effects to his throwing shoulder, completely smothered what modest momentum he'd built up with brand-new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Still, Fangio and Lock have a couple of signature wins this year against the odds. 

Lock became the youngest QB ever to win at Gillette Stadium when the Broncos beat the New England Patriots 18-12 in Week 6. After getting a 21-point hole in Week 8, Lock stormed back in the fourth quarter to defeat Justin Herbert and the L.A. Chargers. 

As four-point home-dogs in Week 11, Lock produced his most complete game of the season as the Broncos defeated the red-hot Miami Dolphins handily. Honestly, if last week's mask-wearing snafu didn't happen, it wouldn't have been surprising to see a Lock-led Broncos squad knock off the fool's gold New Orleans Saints with Taysom Hill at QB. 

One thing that Fanigo's signature wins this season have in common? Quality quarterback play, which exposes the NFL reality that even the best coaches in the league are dependent on the performance of the guy under center. 

The Broncos are sticking with Fangio for 2021, which also happens to be the last year of Elway's contract. And all signs point to the Broncos remaining committed to Lock through this and next season, too. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.