Report: The Broncos have their man as defensive coordinator — Vance Joseph

The last time the Broncos brought back one of their ex-head coaches as defensive coordinator, a Super Bowl resulted.

Now, they’ll try that formula again with one of Wade Phillips’ former lieutenants.

Thursday morning, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network reported that Vance Joseph will return as Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator. He re-joins the Broncos following a four-season stint in the same position on Arizona’s staff.

The Denver Broncos are hiring Vance Joseph as their Defensive Coordinator, per source. @gmfb @nflnetwork @NFLonFOX

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 23, 2023

Joseph’s background also includes three years on Houston’s staff (2011-13) as a defensive-backs coach when Phillips was their defensive coordinator.

The by-the-numbers record of Joseph as purely a defensive coordinator is mixed. In five seasons — one with Miami in 2016 and then the past four years with the Cardinals — Joseph hasn’t had a top-10 defense in either total defense (yardage) or scoring defense. (Denver ranked No. 3 in total defense in 2017, when Joseph was head coach and Joe Woods made the defensive calls as coordinator.)

With the Cardinals, Joseph’s defense peaked in 2021, ranking 11th in total defense and scoring defense. That helped the Cardinals make their first postseason appearance since 2015.

But Arizona’s defense struggled last year as the team buckled under the weight of injuries. At one point — in Week 15 against the Broncos — the Cardinals were so hard up for cornerbacks that WR DeAndre Hopkins approached Joseph about playing corner in a pinch.

But Joseph earned praise from many inside and outside of the Cardinals organization. The HBO series “Hard Knocks” presented Joseph in a flattering light, reflecting a coach who appeared to have more command and gravitas than he displayed during his Broncos head-coaching tenure.

Of course, his previous time with the Broncos was defined not only by two losing seasons, but quarterback issues and the continued belief within the club that the team was close to getting back to scaling its previous Super Bowl heights — when, in reality, a rebuild was in order. Instead, the Broncos opted for a “reboot,” which didn’t go well and further slipped the Broncos into their worst sustained run in a half-century.

Joseph was in the wrong place at the right time.

Now, Payton hopes he’s the right man to guide his defense and keep it among the league’s best units.

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