5 Broncos who won’t survive the rest of the 2023 season
By Kristen Wong
4. Vance Joseph
It's only been five games into Vance Joseph's defensive coordinator stint in Denver, but there's already enough reason to oust him.
Joseph's defense ranks dead last in the NFL in points and yards per game. His red zone defense ranks second to last, and he was the architect of the defense that allowed the Miami Dolphins to score 70 points.
Except for their season-opener against the Raiders, the Broncos have conceded 28 points or more, including that ugly first half against the Bears when they gave up 21 second-quarter points.
If Nickelodeon was making fun of Russell Wlison's cooking skills last year, the Broncos' orange slush of a defense is arguably its weakest link this year. And they have Russ under center, so that's saying something.
Joseph has an experienced resume of DC jobs dating from a 2016 stint in Miami to his most recent stint in Arizona. He may have enjoyed moderate success with past teams, yet it doesn't look like he can adapt to different schemes and help Denver's defense improve week after week. Sean Payton's decorated history back from his time in NOLA may buy him another year or two in Denver. Joseph has no such affordances.