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The Denver Broncos are preparing to make a key addition to their coaching staff just days before training camp kicks off later this month.
According to a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Broncos are expected to hire former outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite as a member of the staff, who was previously a part of Denver's coaching collective for two seasons in both 2023 and 2024.
It remains to be seen in what role Wilhoite will take on as a part of the Broncos' staff, considering his previous role of outside linebackers coach has been claimed by Isaac Shewmaker, who's been in that position since 2025.
However, the big takeaway here is that Wilhoite is back onboard Vance Joseph's defensive staff in some assistant capacity, and will continue his coaching career after it was briefly put on pause for legal concerns that arose in March of 2025.
Why Was Wilhoite Initially Let Go From Denver?
Wilhoite first joined the Broncos on his initial stint in 2023 after being fired from the Los Angeles Chargers as their linebackers coach. Before that time in LA, Wilhoite also had prior stints on the New Orleans Saints' staff in 2019 and 2020 as both a special teams and defensive assistant.
He was in that role with Denver as an outside linebackers coach for two years before he was fired following the 2025 season after being arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault of a police officer, misdemeanor obstruction of a police officer, and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
But a little over a year from his arrest, all charges were dismissed in June of 2026. That, as a result, put him back on the radar of the Broncos to come back aboard their staff.
Wilhoite does still face a civil lawsuit following the incident in 2025, which was filed by the Denver police officer who Wilhoite allegedly punched in the face at a drop-off traffic zone at the Denver International Airport in February of 2025.
However, with the criminal implications of that having been cleared, he'll be able to pick up his coaching career from where it left off, and be under Joseph's wing on the defensive staff for what will be the defensive coordinator's fourth season in the Mile High.
And there's no question that, with this defensive unit that Wilhoite now joins in terms of personnel on the field, he'll have his hands full with a ton of talent to work with.
Last season, the Broncos finished as the NFL's third-best scoring defense, allowed the second-most yards, and most notably, led the league in total sacks with 68, and finished the postseason with a whopping 76 sacks––coming out to the 5th-highest single-season sack total in league history.
So while Wilhoite had to depart for a little over a year, he comes back at a pretty ideal time, considering this Broncos team enters this season with some steep Super Bowl expectations after being right on the doorstep of that final game in 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/broncos/onsi as Broncos to Re-Hire Former Defensive Coach After Legal Resolution.
