The Broncos will have their fifth play-caller in as many years in 2020 after coach Vic Fangio fired offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello on Sunday.

Within hours of Scangarello’s dismissal, signs began to point toward former New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur as Fangio’s preferred choice, confirming a source’s prediction that Fangio would move quickly and hire a replacement with significant play-calling experience.

Shurmur, who also called the plays for the Giants the last two years, was previously the offensive coordinator for St. Louis, Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Fangio met with Scangarello at the Broncos’ facility to give him the news and a source said the decision was “all” Fangio’s, although general manager John Elway was in the loop. The Broncos’ coaches had been on vacation since Dec. 31, two days after completing a 7-9 season.

In a statement, Fangio said: “After a lot of consideration and discussion after the season, I determined that a change at offensive coordinator ultimately would be best for our team. We need to do everything we can to get better — in all areas — as we start working toward next year. Rich is a bright coach with a great future ahead of him. I appreciate all of his hard work and thank him for his contributions to the Broncos.”

In a text message to The Denver Post, Scangarello declined to provide an immediate comment about his dismissal.

A source said Fangio wants a play-caller who is more willing to take shots downfield and provide more diverse looks for opponents.

The status of the rest of the Broncos’ offensive staff remains in limbo until a new coordinator is hired. Quarterback coach T.C. McCartney was the only assistant with ties to Scangarello.

Scangarello was able to win games with three quarterbacks — Joe Flacco (two), Brandon Allen (one) and Drew Lock (four) — but the Broncos finished 28th in yards (298.6) and scoring (17.6), 30th on third down (31.7%) and 29th in red zone touchdown rate (45.3%).

The Broncos’ numbers, though, decreased in each category compared to 2018.

A source said Fangio became frustrated with Scangarello’s unwillingness to keep his foot on the accelerator in several situations.

The new coordinator will follow Rick Dennison in 2016 (although Kubiak called the plays), Mike McCoy (2017), Bill Musgrave (the last part of ’17 and all of 2018) and Scangarello as play-callers and will inherit Lock and a promising cast of young players in receiver Courtland Sutton, running back Phillip Lindsay, tight end Noah Fant and left guard Dalton Risner.

On Dec. 30, Fangio said he expected all three coordinators — Scangarello, Ed Donatell (defense) and Tom McMahon (special teams) — to remain with the team.

Asked about the Scangarello-Lock dynamic, Fangio said: “I think over time, especially as Drew started playing, it was a good relationship. I think they had a good trust between each other. I think the results, although they weren’t record-setting, the results (of the relationship) were good.”

But not good enough to stick with Scangarello, who brought the Shanahan-based system with him from San Francisco. He worked under Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta and San Francisco.

The first sign of trouble for Scangarello was in the Week 8 loss at Indianapolis. The Broncos took a 13-3 lead early in the third quarter, but managed only three first downs over their final six possessions and lost 15-13.

On their second-to-last possession, the Broncos led 13-12 with 2:33 remaining and had first down at the Colts’ 48. But the next three plays (rush, pass, rush) gained only five yards, including no gain on third-and-5. The Colts won on a field goal with 22 seconds left.

After the game, Flacco was critical of the strategy without mentioning Scangarello by name.

“I just look at it like we’re now a 2-6 football team and we’re afraid to go for it in the two-minute drill, you know?” Flacco said. “Who cares if you give the ball back with (1:40) left? … It’s third-and-5 at the end of the game. Who cares if they have a timeout at the end or not? Getting in field goal range isn’t that tough — you’re just putting your defense in these bad situations. I just felt like, what do we have to lose?”

The Colts game was Flacco’s final action of the year because of a neck injury. Allen went 1-2 as the starter before Lock started the final five games.

In Allen’s second start, Week 11 at Minnesota, Scangarello — at Fangio’s urging — emptied the playbook to build a 20-0 halftime lead. The Broncos gained 217 first-half yards. But the Broncos scored only three second-half points, allowing the Vikings to win 23-20.