Broncos 2023 Coaching Staff Tracker: Sean Payton begins to pick his coordinators

Sean Payton wasn’t kidding when he stated he wasn’t going to rush the process of putting together his staff.

Payton hired only a handful of coaches and one coordinator during his first two-plus weeks on the job. With the NFL Combine around the corner—officially kicking off on Tuesday, Feb. 28—Payton is expected to make significant progress on building his staff this week, potentially locking down his offensive and defensive coordinator.

Here is everything you need to know about where things stand with Payton’s coaching staff.

You can find the initial developments on the staff here and the second week of developments here.

Most recent updates

Friday, Feb. 24

• The Broncos hired Beau Lowery to lead the team’s health and performance program, according to Mike Klis. “Lowery’s job with the Broncos will be to oversee their athletic training, strength & conditioning, nutrition and sports science systems,” Klis stated. Lowery spent nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and Sean Payton from 2012-2021. He most recently was LSU’s director of sports medicine. Lowery’s hiring comes as no surprise as Greg Penner stated in December how he’s exhausting every possible way to keep the team healthy throughout the season. Additionally, according to Klis, the Broncos hired EXOS to help the team with their sports performance program.

Thursday, Feb. 23

• Chris Banjo is in line to be the Broncos’ assistant special teams coordinator, according to Mike Klis. Much like Davis Webb, Banjo played in the NFL last season. In the past seven seasons, Banjo has played under Sean Payton in New Orleans (2016-18) and new defensive coordinator Vance Jospeh in Arizona (2019-2022). The 32-year old will help Ben Kotwica turn the Broncos’ special teams unit around.
• Sean Payton hired Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach. Webb, only 28 years old, is six years younger than Russell Wilson (34). Webb played in the NFL last season with the New York Giants. As a former quarterback, he was a third-round pick in 2017 out of Texas Tech.
• Greg Manusky will be the Broncos’ inside linebackers coach. The former NFL linebacker transitioned to coaching in 2001 and has a wealth of experience. He has been a linebackers coach eight different seasons along with 12 seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator. He spent last season as the Vikings inside linebackers coach.
• Joe Lombardi will join Sean Payton’s offensive staff, according to Mike Klis. Lombardi worked under Payton in New Orleans on the offensive side of the ball for two years, including 10 years as Drew Brees’ quarterbacks coach. He spent the previous two years as the Chargers offensive coordinator before being fired this offseason. Lombardi could be Denver’s offensive coordinator.
• Michael Wilhoite will be the Broncos’ outside linebacker coach, according to Mike Klis. Wilhoite played in the NFL for seven seasons before transitioning to coaching, where he got his first job under Sean Payton and the Saints as a special teams assistant in 2019. The following year, he became a defensive assistant. Wilhoite spent the past two years as the Chargers’ linebackers coach.
• Vance Joseph will retain defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.
• After interviewing for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator job on Wednesday, Patriots senior football advisor Matt Patricia could join Denver’s defense as their linebacker coach.
• Vance Joseph has been hired as the team’s defensive coordinator. After being fired as Denver’s head coach following the 2018 season, Jospeh joined the Cardinals as their defensive coordinator. He spent four years running Arizona’s defense before being let go this offseason. Since becoming the Dolphins defensive coordinator in 2016, Joseph’s defenses have been in the top-half of the league in points per game three times. Last season, the Cardinals were hit with injuries and finished as the second-worst scoring defense in the NFL.

• The Broncos hired Keary Colbert as their next wide receivers coach. Colbert played in the NFL on and off from 2004-2011, including two games with the Broncos, before transitioning to coaching. His entire coaching career has been at the collegiate level, including Alabama. His most recent stops have been at USC and Florida as their receivers coach.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

• Sean Payton stated in a tweet he has hired 16 coaches with only five vacancies left to fill. Responding to a Tweet from Eric Goodman stating it was ”embarrassing” that the team has only hired six coaches including himself, Payton said: “16 with 5 to go. We’ll fill you in when we’re ready.”
• Sean Payton interviewed Patriots senior football advisor/offensive line coach Matt Patricia on Wednesday in Denver. Patricia was the Patriots defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. In all six seasons, New England had a top 10 scoring defense in the NFL. In 2018, he became the head coach of the Detroit Lions and compiled a 13-29-1 record before being fired before the end of his third season. When Patricia was in Detroit, the Lions had the 16th-best scoring defense his first year, the seventh-worst scoring defense his second season and the worst scoring defense in the NFL his final year. The past two seasons, he re-joined the Patriots as a senior football advisor. In 2021, Patricia helped call plays on offense.
• Broncos former assistant offensive line coach Ben Steele has been hired by the Cardinals to be their tight ends coach. Steele will officially not be returning to Denver.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

• New York Giants assistant special teams coordinator Anthony Blevins interviewed for Denver’s special teams coordinator position before the Broncos hired Ben Kotwica.

Monday, Feb. 20

• Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni will not return to the Broncos as he will become the New York Jets receivers coach, according to Mike Klis. Azzanni had been with Denver since the 2018 season and had been the only receivers coach that Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler have ever had in the NFL.
• Vance Joseph will interview via Zoom with the Eagles on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Mike Klis. Denver’s former head coach remains in the running for the Broncos’ vacant defensive coordinator position.
• Dan Dalrymple is joining the Broncos’ strength and conditioning staff. Dalrymple was the Saints head strength and conditioning coach every single season Sean Payton was in New Orleans, and could have the same title in Denver. Payton hired Dalrymple when he became New Orleans’ head coach in 2006. He left the Saints following the 2021 season, at the same time Payton stepped away.

Sunday, Feb. 19

• Rex Ryan interviewed for the Broncos’ vacant defensive coordinator job in Denver on Saturday. According to Adam Schefter, Ryan has said he will only leave his ESPN analyst job ”for the perfect situation.”
• Vance Joseph will interview with the Eagles for their defensive coordinator position on Monday, according to Mike Klis.

Saturday, Feb. 18

• Vance Joseph has been hired as the team’s defensive coordinator. The former Broncos head coach spent the past four years as the Cardinals

• The Broncos want defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon to stay on the defensive staff regardless of who the defensive coordinator is, according to Mike Klis.

Current staff

• Head Coach — Sean Payton
  • Assistant head coach — Mike Westhoff
• Offensive Coordinator —
• Defensive Coordinator — Vance Joseph
• Special Teams Coordinator — Ben Kotwica
  • Assistant special teams coordinator — Chris Banjo
• Strength & Conditioning — Dan Dalrymple
• Health & Performance Program Head — Beau Lowery

Offensive Staff

• Quarterbacks coach — Davis Webb
• Running backs coach —
• Wide receivers coach — Keary Colbert
• Offensive line coach — Zach Strief
  • Assistant offensive line coach —
• Tight ends coach — Declan Doyle
• Offensive quality control coach — Zack Grossi
• Offensive quality control coach — Logan Kilgore
• Offensive staff member, title TBD — Joe Lombardi

Defensive Staff

• Defensive line coach — Marcus Dixon
• Inside linebackers coach — Greg Manusky
• Outside linebackers coach — Michael Wilhoite
• Defensive backs coach — Christian Parker
  • Assistant secondary coach —