INDIANAPOLIS — Just as the Broncos did two years ago with Jim Leonhard, they’re turning to the college ranks to fill a void on their defensive staff. But this time, they didn’t go far.
They pointed their antenna northwest to Boulder, nabbing CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston to round out the defensive staff in the wake of Leonhard’s departure for the Buffalo Bills and the dismissal of secondary coach Addison Lynch last month. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the move.
Livingston arrives alongside former USC secondary coach Doug Belk, who will help guide the Broncos’ defensive backs.
For Livingston, it’s a return to the NFL, where he spent 12 seasons from 2012-23, all with the Cincinnati Bengals in various capacities, first as a scout, then as a defensive quality control coach and finally as their safeties coach for eight seasons before he joined Deion Sanders’ Buffs staff in 2024.
In Cincinnati, he briefly worked alongside Vance Joseph, who served on the Bengals’ staff in the 2014 and 2015 seasons before getting his first defensive-coordinator position with the Miami Dolphins for the 2016 campaign. Joseph’s departure allowed Livingston to move up into a position-coach role for the first time.
WHAT THE BRONCOS WILL GET IN LIVINGSTON
The highest-paid assistant on Sanders’ staff, Livingston helped marshal a defensive turnaround in 2024 upon his arrival, as the Buffs soared from 130th to 50th in total defense.
That spurred interest from some NFL teams, leading to the raise that took Livingston into a seven-figure salary range last year. But without Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at his disposal, the Buffs sagged back to 123rd in FBS in total defense. However, CU remained solid against the pass last year, ranking 41st among 136 FBS programs.