The Denver Broncos have hired Derius Swinton as assistant special teams coach, Head Coach John Fox announced on Wednesday.
Swinton, 27, who is entering his seventh year in coaching and his fifth season in the NFL, served as a special teams quality control coach for Kansas City in 2012 following three seasons in the same role with St. Louis.
Last season with the Chiefs, he worked with punter Dustin Colquitt, who made his first Pro Bowl appearance after leading the NFL with 54.2 percent of his punts (45-of-83) being downed inside the opponents 20-yard line.
From 2009-11 with the Rams, Swinton helped coach a unit that ranked third in the NFL with a 39.3-yard net punting average and fourth in the league with a 11.0-yard punt return average during that span.
Swinton began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee from 2007-08, aiding a Volunteers defense that ranked No. 3 in the nation in 2008 (263.5 ypg).
A graduate of Hampton University, where he played free safety from 2003-06, Swinton was born on April 26, 1985, in Newport News, Va.
Broncos Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers said:
"He's got familiarity with the division, which is obviously a plus. He played against us twice last season, so it'll be a good perspective from a self-scout, just how other people see us."
Rodgers also said that in 2012, the Broncos' battles with the Chiefs were two of the club's toughest from a Special Teams standpoint. But the team didn't exclusively look at hiring from within the AFC West.
"It just worked out that way, Most of all, he's a bright, young guy and he has a lot of good ideas. I think he'll be a great fit for what we're doing not only in the kicking game but as a total staff."
If he can help Britton Colquitt to a Pro Bowl like he did for brother Dustin, coach Derius is worthy of his hiring.
Go Broncos!