There we go: the Denver Broncos announced their changes to the coaching staff under Sean Payton on Saturday, and as expected there’s a large group of former New Orleans Saints assistants and players coming to town. Eight of the 15 announced hirings have ties to Payton’s tenure in New Orleans.
We knew most of these additions thanks to previous reporting from New Orleans and Denver, but there are a couple of unexpected surprises — including at least one former Saints player who is kicking off his coaching career with Payton on the Broncos. Here’s what you need to know about each of these new additions:
1
Joe Lombardi, offensive coordinator
Lombardi has worked as an offensive coordinator twice before, with the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-2022) and Detroit Lions (2014-2015). He’s had two stops on Payton’s staff with the Saints as quarterbacks coach from 2009-2013 and again from 2016-2020.
2
John Morton, pass game coordinator
Morton previously worked with Payton as an offensive assistant in 2006, later returning to coach wide receivers for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He’s had other stops with a number of teams around the league, most recently holding the title of senior offensive assistant on Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions staff in 2022. He was a candidate to return to New Orleans under Dennis Allen last year.
3
Zach Strief, offensive line coach
Strief spent his entire career as a player on the Saints before exchanging his helmet for a headset as their assistant offensive line coach. He left for this promotion on Payton’s staff in Denver.
4
Declan Doyle, tight ends coach
Doyle is another former Saints assistant getting a promotion with the Broncos. He worked under Payton for several years in New Orleans and now gets to run his own position group.
5
Michael Wilhoite, outside linebackers coach
Wilhoite started his coaching career under Payton as a special teams assistant back in 2019, pivoting to a role as a defensive assistant in 2020. That catapulted him to the Los Angeles Chargers linebackers job in 2021, but he was dismissed after the 2022 season and now holds this post in Denver.
6
Mike Westhoff, assistant head coach
Payton pulled Westhoff out of retirement to coach the Saints’ special teams units in 2017, and he managed to get Westhoff out of the house again as his new assistant head coach in Denver. He’ll continue to work closely with the kicking game.
7
Chris Banjo, assistant special teams coach
Banjo is beginning his coaching career after appearing in 13 games with the Arizona Cardinals last year; he played 39 games with the Saints under Payton from 2016 to 2019 and was a core special teams contributor. Now he gets to start the next leg of his life in football.
8
Dan Dalrymple, strength and conditioning coach
Dalrymple spent most of two decades running the New Orleans weight room, only for Allen to dismiss him in 2022. Now he’s reunited with Payton on the Broncos staff.
