Tag: mike westhoff

Sean Payton has brought 22 ex-Saints to the Broncos (view them all)

Broncos coach Sean Payton has brought 22 former Saints to Denver. Here’s the full list of players, coaches and executives.

Just call them the Denver Saints.

Since taking over as the Denver Broncos’ head coach last year, Sean Payton has hired 22 former New Orleans Saints. Payton, who won a Super Bowl with the Saints in 2009, has brought in 12 coaches (including a strength coach), two executives and eight players (but two of those players joined New Orleans after Payton left).

The most recent addition is new defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard, who spent training camp and preseason with the Saints as a safety in 2013. Several other coaches also played under Payton in New Orleans, including special teams assistant Chris Banjo, offensive line coach Zach Strief and offensive quality control coach Logan Kilgore.

The most notable former Saints players who now play for the Broncos are kicker Wil Lutz and tight end Adam Trautman, who are both scheduled to become free agents if they are not re-signed before March 13.

Here’s a quick list of all 22 ex-Saints who have joined Payton’s Broncos.

Pete Carmichael joining Sean Payton’s Broncos coaching staff

That didn’t take long. Ex-Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is joining Sean Payton’s Broncos coaching staff:

That didn’t take long. Jeff Duncan reports for the Times-Picayune | Advocate that ex-New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is joining Sean Payton’s coaching staff on the Denver Broncos, though his exact role is unknown; expect Carmichael to carry some sort of senior assistant title and get back to what he did best in New Orleans while drawing up plays behind the scenes.

Carmichael was let go after an 18-year run with the Saints, having spent most of that time as Payton’s offensive coordinator. He only rarely called plays and struggled in that role the last two years after Payton left the team. Now he’s going to Denver for a reunion with Payton and former coworkers including Zach Strief, Mike Westhoff, Joe Vitt, John Morton, and Joe Lombardi, among others.

It’s hardly surprising that Carmichael is teaming up with Payton. They’ve worked well together before. They’re also facing a tough task in getting the Broncos offense up to snuff, with or without Russell Wilson at quarterback. Odds are Carmichael won’t be the last former Saints coach or player to go out West and reunite with Payton. The Broncos are scheduled to play a road game in New Orleans in 2024, so stay tuned for that dramatic matchup at the Caesars Superdome.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton pleased with new special teams staff

Broncos coach Sean Payton said improving special teams is one of “the quickest ways to move from where we’ve been to where we want to go.”

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Broncos Wire has made a point this offseason to emphasize the changes new head coach Sean Payton has made on special teams, because those offseason changes could have significant on-field impacts this fall.

In addition to changing the personnel — with a new kicker, a new punter and a new returner — Payton also brought in three new coaches with special teams backgrounds.

Ben Kotwica will serve as the special teams coordinator, working alongside assistant head coach Mike Westhoff. They will be joined by new assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo, a former special teams ace who just retired this spring and is transitioning to coaching.

Kotwica and Westhoff previously worked together with the New York Jets from 2007-2012. Westhoff coached under Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2017-2018 and Banjo played in New Orleans from 2016-2018.

“Look, they were together,” Payton said on June 14 of Kotwica and Westhoff reuniting. “I don’t know how many years — seven or eight years — with the Jets. I love that we were able to get both of them. …. [Mike] He’s a fantastic teacher. I’ve said it before — if there was a Hall of Fame of special teams coaches, it would start with him. Then Ben — he’s been a coordinator. He has that experience. Here is a guy who’s served two tours and flown Apache helicopters for our country. He, too, is an amazing teacher.”

Westhoff, 75, came out of retirement to reunite with Payton, 59, and Kotwica, 48, in Denver.

“That combination I like there,” Payton said. “I mean, we’ve got experience there, and we’ve got a former player [in Banjo] who’s a great communicator. Certainly with Mike, I know him well. Ben has been outstanding. It’s such an important part of turning around a team’s fortune.

“If you said the quickest ways to move from where we’ve been to where we want to go, it is improving the kicking game. We talked about the offensive line and the ability to run the football. There are just certain things that I think are fundamental, and I’m fortunate to have those guys.”

Special teams have been a weakness in recent years for the Broncos. Payton’s new staff will aim to change that in 2023.

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Broncos aim to fix special teams with a unique coaching staff

The special teams staff includes Mike Westhoff, with 32 years of experience, and Chris Banjo, a rookie coach. Ben Kotwica is in the middle.

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Special teams have been a disaster for the Denver Broncos in recent seasons.

So it’s no surprise that new head coach Sean Payton made it a priority to completely overall the club’s special teams units this offseason — from the coaching staff to the players, just about everything is new.

One of Payton’s biggest hires was Mike Westhoff, a 75-year-old coach who came out of retirement to help with Payton’s special teams project. Westhoff is officially listed as the club’s assistant head coach, but he is expected to focus on special teams.

The official special teams coach is coordinator Ben Kotwica, who worked with Westhoff with the New York Jets from 2007-2012. Kotwica’s assistant special teams coach will be Chris Banjo, a former safety who just retired this spring and is transitioning to coaching.

It’s a unique staff.

“Mike and I worked together and had a lot of success together during our days in New York with the Jets,” Kotwica said on June 14. “He’s been doing it for such a long time, and he’s been a great mentor and friend. You have Mike on that side of the spectrum, who has been doing it for 30-plus years. Then, you have Coach Banjo, who has been doing it for about three weeks. I’m somewhere in the middle, and that dynamic has been excellent.

“Everybody brings things that are different to the table. So far, so good. There is common language, and it’s been good discussion as far as making our unit better.”

Westhoff has more seniority and he will undoubtedly have a say on special teams decisions, but he’ll work together with Kotwica, the official special teams coordinator.

“Mike has been doing it for such a long time, so we’re using his knowledge and expertise,” Kotwica said. “We have such a great working relationship, whether it’s in meetings or certain things that he’ll take over and talk about or certain things that I’ll talk about. We get on to the field and we separate things. It’s really been a great partnership so far, and I’m excited about where it’s going to go.”

The Broncos ranked dead last in kickoff return average last season (17.5 yards per return) and 12th-worst on punt returns (8.3 yards). Denver’s field goal success rate (77.8%) ranked fifth-worst in the NFL.

There’s a lot of work to be done on special teams. Westhoff, Kotwica and Banjo will be tasked with getting the unit back on track with the help of some new personnel this fall.

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Writing was on the wall after Brandon McManus’ down season and Broncos’ ST changes

After McManus struggled in 2022 and following sweeping changes on special teams this spring, the kicker’s release shouldn’t be a surprise.

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The timing of the Denver Broncos choosing to release kicker Brandon McManus on a Tuesday in May was surprising.

Denver had not signed any kickers during free agency, the team did not draft a kicker and the club did not add any undrafted kickers this spring. That made the timing a surprise — there aren’t any other kickers on the roster at the moment.

The timing was unexpected, but McManus being cut wasn’t a huge surprise in itself. The Broncos just didn’t bother with a camp competition before making the move.

McManus converted just 77.8% of his field goals last season. That marked the third-worst percentage in his career and it ranked 29th in the NFL. Those kind of numbers did not justify having the sixth-highest salary cap hit among kickers.

McManus struggled last year, and new coach Sean Payton doesn’t have a history of patience with kickers. As Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com pointed out on Twitter, Payton burned through nine different kickers in his first ten years with the New Orleans Saints before landing on Wil Lutz.

The Broncos have struggled mightily on special teams in recent seasons and Payton clearly made improving that unit a priority this offseason. Payton brought in a new special teams coordinator in Ben Kotwica and a new assistant head coach with a special teams background in Mike Westhoff.

Denver then made a change a punter, a change at long snapper, a change at kick returner, a change at punt returner and now, a change at kicker. Payton has completely revamped the Broncos’ special teams units in one offseason.

Given the coach’s history, Denver’s recent struggles at special teams and McManus’ down year in 2022, parting ways with the kicker isn’t surprising. The timing was unexpected, but moving on was inevitable.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton considers Mike Westhoff a Hall of Fame coordinator

Mike Westhoff is “a Hall-of-Fame-type coordinator,” according to Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton hired Mike Westhoff last month to serve as the team’s assistant head coach, with an emphasis on special teams.

Westhoff has served as a special teams coach with four other teams in the NFL, but the Broncos have Ben Kotwica set to serve as their special teams coordinator this year. The 75-year-old Westhoff will be available as a resource, not just on special teams but across the board in Denver.

“I consider him one of the best coaches that I have been around,” Payton said on Feb. 28. “I can remember introducing him to our team [when he was hired by the New Orleans Saints]. If not all of you, but some of you have covered this league long enough that would remember him — if you didn’t, you can’t vote, but if you did, I’ll let you vote — but he would be someone that would be right up there at the top, from a coordinator standpoint. A Hall-of-Fame-type coordinator. He’s got a unique personality.

“He’s a great teacher and he thinks outside of the box. I like those traits. For him, he’s fishing on the gulf coast of Florida, and I give him a call. It’s the same call I gave him a few years ago. ‘I wouldn’t do this for everybody, but all right. When does it start?’ He enjoys coaching and it will bring — for me, I always enjoy the veteran teachers. The guys that I consider to be real special. He will serve in a number of roles as we put in not only our special teams, but we put in our program. I think he’s got a great background, and he’s a great teacher.”

The Broncos’ special teams units have ranked near the bottom of the NFL in recent seasons. The arrivals of Kotwica and Westhoff should help fix that.

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Broncos’ coaching staff is a good mix of youth and experience

From Mike Westhoff (75) to Davis Webb (28), the Broncos have a wide range of youth and experience on their 2023 coaching staff.

From veterans like assistant head coach Mike Westhoff (75) to young, first-time coaches like quarterbacks coach Davis Webb (28), the Denver Broncos have a wide-ranging mix of experience and ages on their 2023 coaching staff.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton likes it that way, as does team owner/CEO Greg Penner.

“Greg texted me this the other day — Mr. Penner — he said, ‘I really like the makeup of how this staff is coming together,’ relative to experience and relative to a number of things,” Payton said at the NFL combine on Feb. 28.

Payton is following the lead of Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, one of his mentors.

“Parcells wanted to be around younger coaches,” Payton said. “He talked about it all the time. So I like being around younger coaches now. I still consider myself a younger coach, but then I sit in the room and listen to these young coaches that I enjoy. You get energized. Then there’s some experience [on the staff]. There’s just a little bit of everything and there wasn’t any [special requirements]. I think it was just finding the best people.”

The team’s list of more experienced coaches includes Payton (59), inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky (56), passing game coordinator John Morton (53) and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi (51).

On the opposite end of the coaching staff, the team has young, up-and-coming coaches including special teams assistant Chris Banjo (33), defensive backs coach Christian Parker (31) and tight ends coach Declan Doyle (28).

Together, this coaching staff will aim to get the Broncos back on track, seeking the team’s first playoff berth since the 2015 season.

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Nick Ferguson gushes with praise for new member of Broncos’ coaching staff

Nick Ferguson is confident Mike Westhoff will help the Broncos’ special teams units get back on track.

The Denver Broncos have a new special teams coordinator in Ben Kotwica, who will work alongside new assistant head coach Mike Westhoff.

Former safety Nick Ferguson played under Westhoff with the New York Jets from 2001-2002, and he has made it clear on Twitter that he believes Westhoff was the perfect hire for Denver. Ferguson has said the Broncos’ special teams units will now be like a pack of wolves playing for the “GOAT” of special teams coaches.

Ferguson has tweeted that Westhoff demands perfection and settling for less “isn’t in his vocabulary.” He now expects the veteran coach to elevate a part of Denver’s game that has been incredibly poor in recent seasons.

When reports emerged earlier this month that the Broncos were considering asking Westhoff to come out of retirement, Ferguson quickly endorsed the coach.

Westhoff coached special teams with the Colts (1982-1984), Dolphins (1986-2000), Jets (2001-2012) and Saints (2017-2018). He overlapped with Ferguson in New York and coached under Sean Payton in New Orleans.

Ferguson played professional football from 1996-2009. In addition to playing for six NFL teams, Ferguson also spent time in NFL Europe and in the CFL. He played for the Broncos from 2003-2007 and he now works in sports radio in Denver.

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Broncos announce coaching staff additions: All 8 of the ex-Saints joining Sean Payton

Broncos announce coaching staff additions: Here are all eight of the ex-Saints joining Sean Payton in Denver

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:

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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