Vance Joseph Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos hire a former Broncos head coach as new DC

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 2/23/23

Per Fox Sports and NFL Network's Peter Schrager, the Broncos have hired former Denver head coach Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator.

The Denver Broncos are hiring Vance Joseph as their Defensive Coordinator, per source. @gmfb @nflnetwork @NFLonFOX
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 23, 2023

Ironically, this isn't the first time Denver's hired a former Broncos HC to fill the DC role. In 2015, Denver hired Wade Phillips, which worked since its defense was the driving force during a Super Bowl 50 victory.

Maybe the Broncos hope they can catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Joseph was Denver's head coach from 2017-18, and it fired Joseph after an 11-21 record in two seasons. However, his defenses were solid, ranking third in yards allowed during the 2017 season and fifth in takeaways the following year.

He spent the past four years in Arizona, where he had a decent defense, but inconsistency marred the overall performance.

The Cardinals' worst finish was in 2019, ranking last in yards allowed and 25th in takeaways. In comparison, Arizona's best season was in 2021, when it finished 11th in yards allowed and seventh in takeaways.

Denver's talented unit ranked eighth in yards allowed last season. Also, the Broncos have one of the best secondaries in the NFL, led by second-team All-Pro safety Justin Simmons and first-team All-Pro Patrick Surtain II.

Joseph doesn't need to overhaul the system since he's entering a better situation.

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