Sean Payton’s focus appears to be on shoring up a secondary that showed specific vulnerabilities last season. His target, a rising star from the college ranks, has a track record of fixing just that. With teams across the AFC hiring and reshuffling coaches quickly right now, the pressure is on the Broncos‘ head coach to make a countermove.

“The #Broncos are expected to hire Doug Belk as a defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports,” said Matt Zenitz on X. “Belk was the defensive backs coach at USC the last two seasons and coached stars like Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald. Before USC, he was the defensive coordinator at Houston.”

Another sign that Sean Payton is trying to modernize the Broncos’ defensive staff is the hiring of Doug Belk. Overall, the Broncos’ defense was still elite. They led the league with 68 sacks, were third in scoring defense (just 18.3 points allowed per game), and ranked sixth in defensive EPA.

So this wasn’t a bad defense by any means. But the little details matter. Five of the six touchdowns they gave up from 30+ yards came when running backs or tight ends were targeted. And half of the 30+ yard pass plays they allowed (7 of 14) were also to those positions.

That’s the stress point. That’s where new defensive backs coach Doug Belk comes in. His recent work at USC Trojans football in 2024 showed real improvement. The defense cut points allowed per game from 34.4 to 24.1. They also grabbed 12 interceptions and forced 18 takeaways overall.

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Meanwhile, AFC rival Buffalo is making moves of its own. The addition of John Fox seems to be a calculated move to slightly strengthen themselves against the Broncos.

The hiring of John Fox as a senior assistant is a classic move for the Bills. He brings 16 years of NFL experience as a head coach and defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers, Broncos, and Chicago Bears. He brings the kind of veteran leadership Buffalo’s defense needs for in-game management.

For Broncos fans, Fox had a successful career as the Broncos’ head coach from 2011 to 2014. Fox’s Broncos record was 46-18 in the regular season. He won four straight AFC West titles and made the playoffs every year, becoming the only Broncos head coach to make the playoffs in all four of his seasons in Denver. He even led them to Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Bills went 12–5 in 2025 and lost 33–30 in overtime at Denver in the AFC Divisional round. If Buffalo’s path in the playoffs takes them to face the Broncos again, it will be interesting to see if the hiring of former Broncos head coach John Fox as a senior assistant helps Buffalo steal the game.

A look back at Doug Belk’s coaching career

Before joining the NFL, Belk built an extensive resume in the college ranks. He got his start at Valdosta State, working with the defense and special teams before moving over to coach defensive backs. While he was there, he helped win a Division II national title, then moved on to Alabama to continue honing his skills.

At Alabama, he served as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban. During his time there, the Crimson Tide went 40–4, made three College Football Playoff appearances, won the 2015 National Championship, finished as national runner-up in 2016, and captured three straight SEC titles from 2014 to 2016.

He then joined West Virginia as a cornerbacks coach before stepping into a bigger leadership role at Houston as safeties coach and eventually defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

The early days in Houston weren’t smooth. Belk was part of a full reset during Dana Holgorsen’s tenure, and it was reflected by the numbers. The Houston Cougars were 113th nationally in scoring defense and 127th nationally in total defense in 2019, as they continued to rebuild and solidify their program in 2020 before everything clicked.

The 2021 numbers told a much different story. Belk’s success in developing a top-tier pass defense at Houston, which ranked 18th nationally by allowing just 194 yards per game, suggests he has the schematic expertise to address these specific coverage gaps

Five players from Belk’s Houston defense ended up getting drafted into the NFL. That includes defensive lineman Payton Turner, who went in the first round (28th overall in 2021) to the New Orleans Saints, and defensive end Logan Hall, who was taken in the second round (33rd overall in 2022) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He carried that same edge to USC as their defensive backs coach, setting the stage for his next test as he steps into the NFL spotlight.