Tag: Marcus Dixon

Broncos expected to make Jamar Cain their new DL coach

After losing Marcus Dixon to the Vikings, the Broncos are expected to make Jamar Cain their new defensive line coach.

The Denver Broncos lost two members of their coaching staff this offseason. Both of the positions vacated by those departures have now been filled.

First, the Broncos lost defensive backs coach Christian Parker, who left the club to join the Philadelphia Eagles and reunite with Vic Fangio. Denver replaced Parker with Jim Leonhard, an overqualified DBs coach who might one day become a defensive coordinator.

After losing Parker, the Broncos also lost defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, who left the team in a lateral move to join the Minnesota Vikings. It sounds like Denver will now replace Dixon with an in-house candidate.

The Broncos are expected to promote pass rush specialist Jamar Cain to defensive line coach, according to The Athletic‘s Bruce Feldman. Cain previously coached defensive linemen at four college programs before joining Denver’s staff in 2023.

The Broncos could fill Cain’s old rule with a new pass rush specialist, but they don’t necessarily need to. Denver already has an outside linebackers coach (Michael Wilhoite), so promoting Cain does not leave them without a position coach.

If the Broncos do bring in another assistant in a pass rush role, Rob Ninkovich could be a name to watch after he served as a part-time guest coach last season.

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No coaches remain with Broncos from Nathaniel Hackett’s old staff

Entering their second offseason without Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos no longer employ any members of Hackett’s old coaching staff.

Now entering their second season without Nathaniel Hackett, the Denver Broncos no longer employ any members of his 2022 coaching staff.

Some coaches were fired, some were out of contract and not renewed, and some — like Ejiro Evero — wanted to leave. Now no coaches remain from that 2022 staff that went 5-12.

After new head coach Sean Payton took over early last year, the club parted ways with all but two coaches from Hackett’s staff: defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.

Parker and Dixon both left the team in lateral moves this offseason. Parker joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their new passing game coordinator and Dixon joined the Minnesota Vikings as their new defensive line coach.

The Broncos will replace Parker with Jim Leonhard. Dixon’s replacement is still to-be-determined.

Plenty of players remain from the Hackett era, but the coaching staff is all new. Considering how disastrous the 2022 season was, a revamped coaching staff is probably a good thing for Denver’s long-term outlook.

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Vikings make two additions to the coaching staff

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Friday afternoon that they hired Marcus Dixon to be DL coach and Mike Pettine adds OLB coach to title

The Minnesota Vikings have finally filled the role of defensive line coach vacated by Chris Rumph back in December. The team announced on Friday afternoon that they have hired former Broncos defensive line coach Marcus Dixon to the same position.

Along with Dixon, the Vikings also added outside linebackers coach to Mike Pettine’s title. The hire makes sense, as head coach Kevin O’Connell has brought in numerous coaches who have spent time on the same staff with him. Dixon’s first year coaching in the NFL was in 2021 when he joined Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams, a staff where O’Connell was the offensive coordinator.

Pettine has served on O’Connell’s staff as the assistant head coach and adds outside linebackers coach to his title. He replaces Mike Smith, who took a personal leave during the 2023 season. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Smith and the Vikings have parted ways.

There could be more coaching moves but it appears that only assistant offensive line coach needs to be filled heading into the 2024 season.

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Broncos lose DL coach Marcus Dixon to Vikings

After losing Christian Parker to the Eagles, the Broncos have now lost Marcus Dixon to the Vikings.

When Sean Payton took over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach last year, he kept just two coaches from Nathaniel Hackett’s staff: defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.

Both coaches are now gone.

Parker left the team earlier this week to join the Philadelphia Eagles, reuniting with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Broncos could have blocked the lateral move but Payton allowed Parker to go.

Now Dixon is leaving Denver to join the Minnesota Vikings in a lateral move, ESPN’s Dan Graziano first reported on Friday. Dixon will become Minnesota’s new defensive line coach, working under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

The Broncos will have to find two new coaches for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s defensive staff, and there are now no coaches remaining from Hackett’s old staff. Parker and Dixon are bright young coaches, but it seems that Payton did not want to block them from opportunities they wanted to pursue.

Denver has not fired any coaches this spring, but they did bring in former New Orleans Saints Pete Carmichael as a senior assistant. At least two more coaches will be added in the coming weeks to replace Parker and Dixon.

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Sean Payton predicts 3-4 of his Broncos assistants will become head coaches

Sean Payton expects several members of his Broncos staff to eventually become head coaches in the NFL.

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Sean Payton knows what it takes to go from an assistant to a head coach in the NFL.

After starting his coaching career in the college ranks, Payton got his start in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach with the Philadephia Eagles in 1997. He later held the same position with the New York Giants before being promoted to offensive coordinator.

By the team he reached the Dallas Cowboys in 2003, Payton had worked his way up to assistant head coach/QBs coach. He held that position for three seasons in Dallas before becoming the New Orleans Saints’ head coach in 2006.

Payton quickly built a winning coaching staff in New Orleans — his initial staff included Doug Marrone as offensive coordinator, Dennis Allen as assistant defensive line coach and Curtis Johnson as wide receivers coach.

Marrone went on to become an NFL head coach (he’s now back with the Saints coaching their offensive line). Allen also went on to become a head coach and he ultimately ended up replacing Payton in New Orleans. Johnson is currently the head coach of the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.

More recently, Dan Campbell served as Payton’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach with the Saints from 2016-2020. Campbell is now the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

Payton knows what successful assistant coaches look like, and he envisions several members of his Denver staff going on to have similar success.

“There are three or four coaches on this staff —  — that will end up being head coaches,” Payton said on June 14. “For me, for as long as I’ve done this, you want to see those guys have success. I love seeing Dan Campbell and what he’s doing in Detroit. Doug Marrone, Dennis Allen and a number of coaches who go on to positions and fulfill their goals. That’s what we’re trying to do.

“My early years in New Orleans, we had success and the late [former Saints Owner] Mr. [Tom] Benson came to me and said, ‘Coach, we have we have a lot of people interviewing our coaches.’ I said, ‘Mr. B, that’s not a problem. The problem is when no one wants to visit with our coaches.’ We have a lot of talent on the staff, and it takes that to be successful.”

The list of promising young coaches on Payton’s staff with the Broncos includes defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, two holdovers from the previous staff. Denver also has Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator. After previously serving as a head coach with the Broncos from 2017-2018, Joseph might be a candidate for head coach jobs again in the future if his second stint in Denver goes well.

Payton has an eye for talent — both talented players and talented coaches. We’ll see if his prediction about the current staff holds up in the coming years.

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Broncos prioritized keeping 2 members of Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching staff

The Broncos replaced more than a dozen coaches, but they prioritized keeping DBs coach Christian Parker and DL coach Marcus Dixon on staff.

The Denver Broncos replaced more than a dozen coaches this offseason, including all three coordinator positions.

Most members of Nathaniel Hackett‘s staff were not brought back as new head coach Sean Payton put his stamp on the team with new arrivals. Denver did prioritize bringing back two coaches, though, informing defensive coordinator candidates they wanted to keep them on staff.

Even before Vance Joseph was hired as DC, the Broncos planned to retain defensive backs coach Christian Parker (31) and defensive line coach Marcus Dixon (38).

“I had heard a lot of good things [about them] prior to when I took the job and prior to getting into the building,” Payton said on Feb. 28. “I wanted to visit with those guys. They were real bright when I visited with them. You don’t want to lose good talent, and it’s the same thing with your locker room. You don’t want to lose players that are possibly leaving. Christian is well versed and when you listen to him talk about coverage play and how it fits the fronts — those two have been real instrumental in the defensive coordinator interview process.

“They sat in on the second round of meetings and interviews. Marcus is the same way. They are both young and extremely talented coaches that the first impressions were immediate for me. Then knowing about how others in the building felt, all of that helped me make a decision pretty quickly.”

After the team lost former DC Ejiro Evero to the Carolina Panthers, having Parker and Dixon remain on staff will help provide some continuity for the defensive players going into the 2023 season. They are young, up-and-coming coaches who might one day become DC candidates, and it’s understandable that Payton wanted to keep them in the building.

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Broncos coaching staff update: Final pieces falling into place

The Broncos are expected to add Joe Lombardi, Keary Colbert, Michael Wilhoite and Greg Manusky to their coaching staff.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is getting closer to adding the final pieces to his staff.

In addition to hiring Vance Joseph as the team’s new defensive coordinator on Thursday, Payton also hired Joe Lombardi for the offensive staff, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. It’s not yet clear if Lombardi will serve as the offensive coordinator or in another role.

Lombardi worked under Payton in three different roles with the New Orleans Saints, including as a quarterbacks coach from 2016-2020. He served as offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-2022 before reuniting with Payton in Denver.

Payton also hired wide receivers coach Keary Colbert on Thursday, according to a report from On3.com’s Matt Zenitz. Colbert, a former Broncos receiver, coached at the University of Florida last fall. Before that, Colbert coached at USC from 2016-2021, helping develop a group of receivers including Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London.

Denver is also bringing in Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Webb spent time as a backup QB with three teams — most recently with the New York Giants last year — before joining the Broncos as a coach.

On special teams, Denver will hire Chris Banjo as an assistant special teams coach, according to Klis. Banjo, 32, is a former safety who was just officially cut by the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. Banjo played under Payton in New Orleans and under new Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in Arizona.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, Denver is hiring Michael Wilhoite as its new linebackers coach, according to Klis. He coached under Payton with the Saints from 2019-2020.

Wilhoite will presumably oversee the outside linebackers because Greg Manusky is joining the team as their inside linebackers coach, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He has DC experience with four NFL teams and most recently coached ILBs with the Minnesota Vikings last season.

Joseph’s defensive staff will also include holdover defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker, NFL Network’s James Palmer confirmed Thursday. Klis had previously reported that the Broncos hoped to keep Dixon and Parker on staff regardless of who was hired as DC.

Ben Steele, who served as Denver’s assistant offensive line coach last season, will not be staying. Steele has joined the Arizona Cardinals as their new tight ends coach. We are tracking all of the changes to the Broncos’ coaching staff on this page.

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Broncos coaching staff update: Rex Ryan buzz heating up

Rex Ryan seems to be a favorite for DC. Meanwhile, Mike Westhoff is in as the new assistant head coach. More staff updates here.

Sean Payton has a new assistant head coach with the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos have hired Mike Westhoff as an assistant head coach, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. He will oversee the club’s special teams units alongside new special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica.

Westhoff and Kotwica previously worked together under Rex Ryan with the New York Jets from 2009-2012. Ryan is also a candidate to land in Denver. In fact, Ryan was spotted at the Hilton Denver Inverness hotel — about 10 minutes from the Broncos’ facility — on Saturday morning.

Ryan has already interviewed for Denver’s defensive coordinator opening, and he was in town for a second interview over the weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Ryan is considered the favorite for the DC position, but he is not the only candidate.

The Broncos also interviewed Vance Joseph and Kris Richard last week, and Christian Parker, Mike Zimmer and Nick Rallis have also been linked to Denver’s opening in recent weeks. Rallis is no longer a candidate after taking the DC position with the Arizona Cardinals. It remains to be seen if any other candidates will be interviewed.

Elsewhere on the coaching front, Broncos tight ends coach Jake Moreland has left to join the Houston Texans in a lateral move. Denver is expected to hire Declan Doyle to replace Moreland.

The Broncos are also losing “instructional designer” John Viera, who is following Nathaniel Hackett to the New York Jets, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. He was a “coach for the coaches” in Denver last year.

Klis also reported that regardless of who the Broncos hire as defensive coordinator, they hope to keep defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and secondary coach Christian Parker on staff in some capacity.

We are tracking all of Denver’s coaching staff changes on this page.

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Broncos poach three coaches from Rams’ staff

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett poached three coaches from the Rams: Ejiro Evero (DC), Dwayne Stukes (STC) Marcus Dixon (DL).

The Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams are clearly doing something right, and the Denver Broncos appear to be following their lead.

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has hired three members of the Rams’ coaching staff: secondary coach/pass game coordinator Ejiro Evero, assistant special teams coach Dwayne Stukes and assistant defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.

Evero (defensive coordinator), Stukes (special teams coordinator) and Dixon (defensive line coach) are all getting promotions in Denver, which allows the Broncos to poach them from Los Angeles.

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ complete coaching staff under Hackett.

Offense

Head coach: Nathaniel Hackett

Offensive coordinator: Justin Outten

Wide receivers: Zach Azzanni

Running backs: Tyrone Wheatley

Passing game coordinator/QBs: Klint Kubiak

Tight ends: Jake Moreland

Offensive line: Butch Barry

Assistant offensive line: Ben Steele

Offensive quality control: Ramon Chinyoung

Defense

Defensive coordinator: Ejiro Evero

Senior defensive assistant: Dom Capers

To-be-determined role: Bill Kollar (*expected)

Defensive line coach: Marcus Dixon

Defensive backs: Christian Parker

Assistant defensive backs: Ola Adams

Linebackers: Peter Hansen

Outside linebackers: Bert Watts

Defensive quality control: Nathaniel Willingham

Special teams and more

Special teams coordinator: Dwayne Stukes

Special teams assistant: Mike Mallory

Assistant to head coach: Derek Haithcock

Instructional designer: John Vieira

Head strength and conditioning: Loren Landow

Assistant strength and conditioning: Korey Jones

Assistant strength and conditioning: Pierre Ngo

Player performance assistant: Emily Zaler

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After adding Tyrone Wheatley, Broncos expected to hire at least 3 more coaches

The Broncos officially announced Tyrone Wheatley as their new RBs coach on Wednesday. Denver has at least three more hires on the way.

The Denver Broncos have hired Tyrone Wheatley as their new running backs coach, the team announced Wednesday.

Wheatley, 50, had a 10-year career as a running back in the NFL before going on to coach at the college and pro level. He most recently served as the head coach at Morgan State from 2019-2021.

Wheatley becomes the 14th outside hire head coach Nathaniel Hackett has made so far this offseason. At least three more additions are on the way, all from the same team.

The Broncos are expected to hire Los Angeles Rams secondary coach/pass game coordinator Ejiro Evero, Rams assistant special teams coach Dwayne Stukes and L.A.’s assistant defensive line coach, Marcus Dixon.

Evero will be Denver’s defensive coordinator, Stukes will be the special teams coordinator and Dixon will become the defensive line coach, with all three coaches getting promotions after winning Super Bowl LVI.

The Rams are holding their Super Bowl parade in Los Angeles today. The Broncos could make the three hires official as soon as later today, but Thursday might be the most likely day for an announcement.

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