The Denver Broncos should feel motivated to get better during the 2026 offseason. Denver was one game away from Super Bowl 60, but a brutal Bo Nix injury crushed their hopes of making the big game. Now the Broncos have made an addition to their coaching staff, reuniting with a familiar face.
The Broncos are expected to hire former Lions offensive coordinator John Morton as their new pass-game coordinator, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Morton was previously the pass-game coordinator in Denver from 2023-24. Now he can return to the Broncos after just one season away from the team.
Morton was also a postseason consultant in Denver during the team’s playoff run in 2025.
The veteran coach has plenty of ties to Payton throughout the years. Morton first joined Payton’s coaching staff in New Orleans as passing game coordinator and offensive assistant back in 2006.
Morton left the NFL to return to college, taking a similar role at USC in 2007. But he returned to the NFL in 2011 and eventually found his way back to New Orleans in 2015-16. This time, he was a wide receivers coach under Payton.
Morton never quite lived up to expectations after joining the Lions in 2025. He had some big shoes to fill, as Detroit had recently parted ways with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Regardless, Morton did not lead Detroit’s offense to prominence last fall.
On paper the Lions still had one of the league’s best offensive units in 2025. They finished tied for fourth in points scored (28.3 per game) and were a top-five unit in yards per game (373.2).
Unfortunately, Detroit took a huge step back in terms of their running game. The Lions ranked 14th in the NFL with 120.1 rushing yards per game.
In fairness, the retirement of Frank Ragnow and departure of veteran guard Kevin Zeitler almost certainly made the situation worse before Morton took over. Even so, it just wasn’t the right fit for both sides.
Hopefully Morton and the Broncos can take over where they left off when the 2026 NFL season kicks off later this fall.
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