Joe Lombardi named Broncos' offensive coordinator

The Denver Broncos hired Joe Lombardi as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced Saturday.

Lombardi, 51, joins Denver after serving in the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and 2022. He was dismissed from the team last month.

The Seattle native will reunite with head coach Sean Payton after working as an offensive assistant (2007-2008) and a quarterbacks coach (2009-13) with the New Orleans Saints.

Lombardi's first opportunity as an offensive play-caller came in 2014 as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. He was fired during the 2015 season alongside several coaching staff members following the Lions' 1-6 start to the campaign.

The Chargers posted respectable numbers during Lombardi's tenure. L.A. boasted a top-10 offense including ranking 9th in the league with 359.3 yards per game to go along with 23 points per contest.

Both Lombardi and Payton will be tasked with improving a Broncos offensive unit that struggled significantly in 2022. Denver ranked last in the league with 16.9 ppg with quarterback Russell Wilson running the offense.

Denver also announced the hire of Vance Joseph as the team's defensive coordinator and John Morton as the pass-game coordinator.