Sean Payton added a pair of offensive staffers this offseason, but largely combated a run on his assistant coaching ranks by promoting from within and giving new titles to coveted young coaches.
Payton gave Davis Webb the title of offensive passing game coordinator in addition to his work as Denver’s quarterback coach, the team announced in naming Payton’s 2025 staff Thursday. That title was previously held by John Morton, who left to become Detroit’s offensive coordinator.
The Broncos head man named offensive line coach Zach Strief the team’s run game coordinator — a new title for Payton in Denver — and made Strief an assistant head coach.
Strief’s former assistant offensive line coach, Austin King, is getting his own room to coach, too, as he slides over to coach the Broncos’ tight ends. That post was previously held by Declan Doyle, who left to become Chicago’s offensive coordinator.
Webb and Strief, each of whom played in the NFL recently, have become hot commodities in NFL circles. Each has consistently drawn interest from other teams and did so again this offseason.
Payton, then, had to work hard to keep his staff from getting picked apart more than it already did.
The two new additions on the offensive side of the ball: Chris Morgan as the assistant offensive line coach and Evan Rothstein as an offensive line assistant and, interestingly, as Payton’s director of game management. That is yet another new title for Payton, at least during his tenure with the Broncos.
Morgan played college ball at Colorado from 1995-99 and then jumped right into coaching. He worked his way from high school coaching in Texas to eventually catching on with the Oakland Raiders in 2009. He’s been with an NFL team every year since.
Most recently, he spent 2022-24 with Chicago and last year held the title of offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Rothstein, meanwhile, has extensive experience with football research and analytics in the NFL and in recent seasons has worked in coaching as well. He spent the past four seasons in New England, where in 2023 he was the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach and last year he added director of game management to his duties.
Payton had not previously had somebody on staff specifically for game management, though he’s lauded Denver’s analytics group and the advanced work and research they’ve done in the past.
Payton, clearly, believes in the core group of coaches he’s built over the past two seasons. He kept veteran offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and senior offensive assistant Pete Carmicahel, two long-time lieutenants, in place, and continues to add in young coaches around them.
“I’m still always mindful that more is not better in that you have to be careful about that,” he said last month at the NFL combine. “We try to have a couple of young coaches on each side of the ball and maybe one in the kicking game that are in entry-level positions. Then it gets back — obviously, coaching ability is important. Passion is important and compatibility is important. All of those traits, as you are building a team, you’re counting on from your coaches. I would say to some degree, it hasn’t changed much.
“I think I have certainly changed relative to how I look at the process.”
ST overhaul complete: That young coach on special teams who Payton referenced is former New Orleans and Minnesota fullback Zach Line. He joins assistant special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf under new coordinator Darren Rizzi.
Line, 34, played in the NFL from 2013-19. The final three of those came with Payton in New Orleans.
Most recently, he coached Oxford High in Michigan.
Maalouf is re-joining Rizzi, whom he has extensive experience with, after an extended absence from coaching. The last NFL job he had was as special teams coordinator in Minnesota from 2019-20. Before that, he was Rizzi’s assistant in Miami.
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Broncos 2025 coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Sean Payton | Head coach |
| Paul Kelly | Asst. to HC |
| OFFENSE | |
| Joe Lombardi | Offensive coordinator |
| Zach Strief^ | Off. run game coordinator/AHC |
| Davis Webb^ | Off. pass game coordinator/QB |
| Lou Ayeni | Running backs |
| Pete Carmichael | Sr. offensive assistant |
| Keary Colbert | Wide receivers |
| Zach Grossi | Passing game specialist |
| Austin King^ | Tight ends |
| Christ Morgan | Asst. offensive line |
| Evan Rothstein | Dir. game management/OL asst. |
| Favian Upshaw | Offensive quality control |
| Logan Kilgore | Offensive quality control |
| DEFENSE | |
| Vance Joseph | Defensive coordinator |
| Jim Leonhard^ | Def. pass game coordinator/AHC |
| Jamar Cain | Defensive line |
| Addison Lynch^ | Cornerbacks |
| Isaac Shewkaker^ | Linebackers |
| Joe Vitt | Sr. defensive assistant |
| Todd Davis | Defensive quality control |
| Brian Niedermeyer | Defensive quality control |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | |
| Darren Rizzi | Special teams coordinator/AHC |
| Marwan Maalouf | Asst. special teams |
| Zach Line | Special teams quality control |
| STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING | |
| Shaun Snee^ | Dir. strength and conditioning |
| Dan Dalrymple | Head strength and conditioning |
| Korey Jones | Asst. strength and conditioning |
| Taylor Porter | Asst. strength and conditioning |
| Bold — New addition | |
| ^Title change |