Ex-Broncos assistant coach has Saints' offense flying

It’s tough to watch a player leave your team and find success elsewhere. The same can happen with coaches.

At a time when the Denver Broncos‘ offense is struggling to move the ball and score points, the New Orleans Saints are flying. Through two weeks, the Saints have scored 91 points, an average of 45.5 points a game. The Broncos, meanwhile have scored 26 points through two weeks, an average of 13 points per game.

The New Orleans attack is being led by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the son of former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak. The younger Kubiak has “completely renovated” the Saints’ offense. Also on staff in New Orleans are ex-Denver offensive coaches Rick Dennison and Clancy Barone.

Kubiak, 37, was a passing game coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 after holding that title plus quarterback coach duties with the Broncos in 2022. He was an offensive assistant in Denver from 2016-2018 before a three-year run with the Minnesota Vikings.

Klint was initially hired to join Gary’s staff with the Broncos in 2016, and he later followed his dad to Minnesota. There was no nepotism involved when Denver re-hired Klint in 2022 as part of Nathaniel Hackett’s staff.

Sean Payton arrived in 2023 and cleared out nearly all of Hackett’s staff, including Kubiak. Payton joined the Broncos with a reputation as an offensive genius, but he hasn’t been able to kickstart Denver’s offense thus far. Kubiak, meanwhile, is off to a great start with the Saints.