New coaching staff hires usually come with an extensive, wide-ranging search in the NFL, but the Denver Broncos skipped the “wide-ranging" part, hiring defensive coordinator Robert Livingston of the Colorado Buffaloes as their defensive pass game coordinator. The move was reported by multiple outlets and reporters, including Jeff Legwold of ESPN and Luca Evans of the Denver Post.
Livingston will replace Jim Leonhard on the staff after Leonhard took a job as defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, and the move will fill out Denver’s defensive staff, with coach Sean Payton announcing that he expects to finalize Denver’s staff by the end of this week’s stint at the NFL combine.
The 40-year old Livingston was a Deion Sanders’ hire back in 2024, and he’s spent two seasons guiding Colorado’s defense. The first was very successful, as the Buffaloes climbed from the 124th ranked defense in the FBS I 2023 to the 42nd-ranked unit in 2024. But the unit took a step back in Sanders’ volatile second season, recording just six interceptions in 12 games. Livingston doubtless saw the writing on the wall with both of Sanders' sons trying to make the NFL leap, so he, too, is moving up to the next level.
Livingston does have NFL experience, though, so presumably he’s find a more stable home with the Broncos. He was first hired by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012, and by 2015 he’d worked his way up to join the quality control staff. He became the Bengals’ safeties and defensive backs coach in 2015, and Livingston coached in that same role through the 2023 season.
The Broncos’ new hire also has ties to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, as Joseph was the Bengals’ defensive backs coach in 2014 when Livingston was still on the scouting staff.
The goal with the secondary this season will be to generate more takeaways, a subject that’s been near and dear to Payton’s heart lately. The Broncos finished 18th in the NFL with 10 interceptions, according to Evans, although safety Talanoa Hufanga dropped multiple potential interceptions that could have been big plays for Denver.
Payton has basically reconfigured most of the coaching staff since the end of the season, and it will be interesting to see how this affects the secondary going forward. Pat Surtain II is a former Defensive Player of the Year, but cornerback Riley Moss has been a lightning rod for the fan base, as he’s steady in zone coverage but often commits bad penalties when he’s beaten by some of the league’s better speed receivers.