Sean Payton rounded out his first Broncos coaching staff Saturday with a familiar, veteran face and several young additions.
Payton is hiring longtime Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt as a senior defensive assistant and LSU assistant Jamar Cain as a pass-rush coaching specialist in Denver, the franchise announced Saturday.
The Broncos also formally acknowledged the hires of several other staffers, as well, in addition to several previously reported assistant coaches, as well.
Vitt was the linebackers coach in New Orleans from 2006-16 and served as the Saints' interim head coach for the second part of the 2012 season when Payton was suspended for the entire year because of the Bounty Gate scandal. Vitt was suspended for the first six games of the season because of the scandal, but then joined Aaron Kromer as interim coach when the suspension was finished.
Coincidentally, Vitt's first game back after his suspension was a 34-14 loss to the Broncos in Denver on Oct. 24, 2012.
In total, he spent 11 seasons in New Orleans until Payton fired him and several other defensive assistants after 2016 and a third straight 7-9 finish for the franchise.
Most recently Vitt coached the New York Jets' outside linebackers from 2019-20 before retiring, but Payton was able to convince him to come out of retirement and work on his first coaching staff in Denver.
Before his retirement at the end of the 2020 season, Vitt had been in the NFL in some capacity every season since 1982.
The 68-year-old is a New Jersey native. He coached defense his entire career except for 2018, when he served as Miami's senior director of football and player development for then-Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, who is his son-in-law.
The 2022 season was Cain's first in Baton Rouge. Before that, he spent two seasons coaching at Oklahoma, where his pupils included current Broncos second-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Before that, he spent the 2019 season at Arizona State.
At 42, Cain joins defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite as a young, dynamic set of coaches working with the Broncos front seven, while inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky brings several years of coordinating experience to the mix.
According to nola.com, Cain told his LSU players that he was leaving for Denver before the Tigers' Saturday morning spring practice.
In addition to those two, the Broncos acknowledged the hires of quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, running backs coach Lou Ayeni and assistant offensive line coach Austin King.
Zack Grossi is staying on as one of the few holdovers from the 2022 staff and will serve as an offensive quality control coach. He was hired a year ago by Nathaniel Hackett and earned praise from several coaches, including interim head coach Jerry Rosburg late in the season.
Other support staff hires announced Saturday by Payton: Fellow offensive quality control coaches Logan Kilgore and Favian Upshaw and defensive quality control coaches Isaac Shewmaker and Addison Lynch.
Kilgore was most recently the offensive coordinator at Isidore Newman School in Louisiana, the high school alma mater of now-Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Peyton Manning's nephew.
Payton is also hiring Shaun Snee as an assistant strength coach. Snee ran the University of Wisconsin football's strength program the past two seasons and had been at the school for eight years.
2023 Denver Broncos coaching staff
Offensive staff
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Joe Lombardi | Offensive coordinator |
| John Morton | Passing game coordinator |
| Davis Webb | Quarterbacks |
| Zach Strief | Offensive line |
| Austin King | Asst. offensive line |
| Keary Colbert | Wide receivers |
| Lou Ayeni | Running backs |
| Declan Doyle | Tight ends |
| Zach Grossi | Quality control |
| Logan Kilgore | Quality control |
| Favian Upshaw | Quality control |
Defensive staff
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Vance Joseph | Defensive coordinator |
| Joe Vitt | Senior defensive assistant |
| Marcus Dixon | Defensive line |
| Michael Wilhoite | Outside linebackers |
| Jamar Cain | Pass-rush specialist |
| Greg Manusky | Inside linebackers |
| Christian Parker | Defensive backs |
| Isaac Shewmaker | Quality control |
| Addison Lynch | Quality control |
Special teams
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Ben Kotwica | Special teams coordinator |
| Chris Banjo | Asst. special teams |
| Mike Westhoff | Asst. head coach |
Strength and conditioning
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Dan Dalrymple | Head coach |
| Korey Jones | Assistant |
| Shaun Snee | Assistant |
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