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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In a deal that was waiting on the Super Bowl and some of the contract machinations that come with a job change, the Denver Broncos on Friday announced the hiring of Darren Rizzi as special teams coordinator/assistant head coach.
Rizzi has been the New Orleans Saints’ special teams coordinator for the past six seasons after a 10-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. Rizzi, who also served as the Saints’ interim head coach this past season after Dennis Allen was fired, was on Broncos coach Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans for three seasons.
The special teams coordinator job is one of several openings on the Broncos’ staff that Payton has worked to fill in recent weeks. Payton was in New Orleans last week in the days before the Super Bowl.
Payton fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica a week after the Broncos’ loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round, and assistant head coach Mike Westhoff retired during the season due to health reasons. The Broncos’ other special teams assistant coach, Chris Banjo, was not promoted by Payton after Kotwica’s firing and was hired as the New York Jets’ special teams coordinator.
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Rizzi, who had formally interviewed for the Saints head coaching job in mid-January, and some of the other New Orleans assistant coaches, according to multiple league sources, were in a holding pattern until Kellen Moore was named the team’s head coach this week. The assistants had to wait to know if they would be retained on Moore’s staff or allowed to seek other jobs.
Moore was the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator this past season, and the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.
The Broncos (10-8) led the league in yards per punt return this season at 15.7. Marvin Mims Jr. was named an All-Pro as a returner, and kicker Wil Lutz tied Jason Elam for the franchise’s single-season field goal record with 31.
However, two high-profile miscues — both in key AFC West losses — loomed over the Broncos’ special teams units.
The first was a blocked field goal as time expired Nov. 10 that preserved Kansas City’s 16-14 win over the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs discovered a weakness in the Broncos’ front on a previous kick in the game and overloaded the left side of the line.
Multiple Kansas City defenders then pushed Alex Forsyth over, and linebacker Leo Chenal blocked Lutz’s 35-yard attempt to end the game. The Broncos flipped Forsyth and reserve tackle Matt Peart in the formation for the remainder of the season, and Lutz made 41 of 42 field goal and extra point attempts the rest of the way.
Lutz missed a 50-yarder in the wild-card loss to the Bills.
The second high-profile special teams mistake came before halftime of the Broncos’ Dec. 19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Cornerback Tremon Smith was called for fair-catch interference when he bumped Chargers punt returner Derius Davis as the first half was about to end. The Chargers elected, by rule, to take a free kick as a result of the penalty, and Los Angeles kicker Cameron Dicker then made a 57-yard field goal to end the half.
The play cut the Broncos’ lead to 21-13 and gave the Chargers, who went on to a 34-27 win, needed momentum.
