What to know about new Colorado defensive line coach Damione Lewis

Perhaps lost in the chaos of last week’s Big 12 football media days , BuffZone’s Brian Howell reported Friday that the Colorado Buffaloes promoted analyst Damione Lewis to coach the defensive line. Lewis officially takes over for Sal Sunseri, who is no longer on head coach Deion Sanders’ staff.

According to Howell , Lewis agreed to a two-year contract that will pay him $315,000 this year and $350,000 the following year. The 46-year-old native of Sulphur Springs, Texas was initially hired as a defensive analyst this past winter.

Lewis’ promotion gives Colorado yet another full-time assistant coach with extensive NFL experience. A former All-Big East defensive lineman at Miami, he was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2001. There, Lewis played five seasons (2001-05) before spending time with the Carolina Panthers (2006-09) and Houston Texans (2010).

The 10-year NFL lineman played in 141 career games, recording 277 total tackles, 23.5 sacks, 26 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles.

In 2019, the Florida International Panthers hired Lewis as their assistant athletic director of football/player development. He spent one year there before helping coach the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line from 2020-23.

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