The Broncos are making a big change to their staff after barely missing out on the Super Bowl.
Denver fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, along with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch, the team announced.
Lombardi, a longtime offensive assistant with the Saints, joined Sean Payton in Denver before the start of the 2023 season.
The Broncos were in the top half of the league in a number of offensive categories this year, ranking 14th in points per game (23.6), 10th in yards (342.6) and 11th in passing yards (223.9).
Quarterback Bo Nix, who led the NFL in passing attempts, threw for 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his second year. His completion percentage did drop a bit from his rookie season (66.3 percent) to his sophomore campaign (63.4 percent).
Nix, who fractured a bone in his right ankle during the divisional round of the playoffs, could not play in the AFC Championship game.
In his place, backup Jarrett Stidham got the start. After a promising scoring drive on the second offensive series of the first quarter, Stidham struggled the rest of the way, finishing 17-of-31 for 133 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Adding in the snowy conditions at Empower Field and a ground game that failed to make any real headway, the Broncos finished the game — a 10-7 loss to the Patriots — with 181 total yards of offense, just 26 of which came in the second half as playing conditions deteriorated.
Considering the Broncos are a team that came this close to reaching the Super Bowl and were the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the offensive coordinator job under Payton should, at the least, be an enticing one to consider.
