The Denver Broncos made another coaching hire in the wake of the staff purge conducted by coach Sean Payton a couple of weeks ago, adding John Morton to fill the role of offensive pass coordinator, according to a report by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The role came open when Davis Webb was promoted to offensive coordinator after Payton dismissed former OC Joe Lombardi along with two other coaches.
Morton has a history with Payton and the Broncos in the same role, which he held in both 2023 and 2024. He spent last season with the Detroit Lions, but Morton and the team parted ways.
He was a Lions assistant under coach Dan Campbell in 2022, and Morton actually replaced former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson when Johnson moved on to become coach of the Chicago Bears.
The Lions struggled to recreate Johnson’s offensive success, however, and Morton’s run as a play caller ended in mid-November with Campbell taking over those responsibilities. Detroit hired Drew Petzing as their new coordinator last month, so Morton moved on.
Morton does have a history with Payton, however, that dates back to Payton’s time with the New Orleans Saints. He also spent the 2017 season as the New York Jets' offensive coordinator, and Morton has had stints with the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers over the course of his coaching career.
Denver’s offensive coaching situation is still a work in progress to at least some extent. Webb is now the coordinator, but there are questions about Payton is willing to give up calling plays, which is something he’s done for a long time wherever he’s coached. Morton’s specific duties will depend a lot on how that situation settles out.
There are also major issues with the Broncos offense that need to be addressed. As successful as Denver was this past season, the offense struggled with inconsistency, and Payton expressed frustration about that and the ability to get the run game going late in the season.
Then there’s the situation with quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his ankle in the divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills in January. Payton made comments about Nix being predisposed to that particular injury, but Nix pushed back, and it’s unclear if that situation has been resolved.
The Broncos also took more time to make this hire after the initial coaching changes, which wasn’t surprising given the level of controversy that got stirred up given the suddenness of Payton’s moves with a team that came within a field goal of the Super Bowl.