ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have appointed Darren Rizzi, who previously served as the interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, as their new special teams coordinator.
Rizzi has a rich coaching background, spending the last six years with the Saints as the special teams coordinator under both head coaches Sean Payton and Dennis Allen. He stepped in as interim head coach last season, finishing with a 3-5 record and subsequently interviewed for the permanent head coaching position, which ultimately went to Kellen Moore, who had been the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.
In his new role with the Broncos, Rizzi, aged 54, takes over from Ben Kowtica, who was released following the team’s significant special teams errors in multiple games, including their playoff loss against Buffalo.
Before his stint with the Saints, Rizzi spent 17 years coaching at the college level and joined the Miami Dolphins in 2009 as an assistant special teams coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Dolphins, a position he held for nine seasons before joining the New Orleans coaching staff.
Rizzi inherits a strong special teams lineup in Denver, as punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. excelled last season, leading the league with a return average of 15.7 yards and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year. Mims was one of three Broncos players, alongside Patrick Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz, to achieve AP first-team All-Pro honors last season.
Additionally, Rizzi will continue his collaboration with kicker Wil Lutz, who transitioned from the Saints to the Broncos in 2023 under Payton’s management. Denver’s punter Riley Dixon had a commendable season but is approaching unrestricted free agency in the upcoming month.
Kowtica’s time in Denver was largely fruitful, although it was marred by a critical failure in a Week 10 game against Kansas City when linebacker Leo Chenal blocked Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired, enabling the Chiefs to secure a 16-14 win.
Furthermore, a 34-27 defeat to the Chargers in December highlighted special teams issues, with a penalty against Tremon Smith resulting in the NFL’s first successful fair-catch kick in nearly five decades, propelling Los Angeles to a 24-6 scoring run and culminating in a sweep of the Broncos for the first time since 2010.
Payton is still in the process of filling various positions within his coaching staff. Pass-game coordinator John Morton and tight ends coach Declan Doyle departed for offensive coordinator roles with other teams, Morton heading to Detroit and Doyle taking a job in Chicago. Additionally, Chris Banjo, the assistant special teams coach, accepted a role as the new special teams coordinator for the Jets.
Along with Kowtica, Payton also let go of inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky last month.
