February 23, 2023   2 MIN READ

Report: Joseph Becomes Broncos DC

Birds DC Candidate Returns to Denver

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Vance Joseph, who most recently served as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals and interviewed this past week for the same position with the Eagles, is instead going back to Denver.

Joseph, who spent two seasons as Denver Broncos head coach from 2017-2018, will become the Broncos’ defensive coordinator under new head coach Sean Payton, according to a report from Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network.

Vance Joseph

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles DC candidate Vance Joseph is out of the running as he’s returning to Denver to be Sean Payton’s DC.

Joseph was among several candidates who have interviewed this week for Eagles defensive coordinator after the team lost Jonathan Gannon to head coach of the Cardinals, but Joseph’s blitz-heavy philosophy made him a curious pairing with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who frequently lists limiting explosive plays as one of his core principles as head coach.

Coordinators who blitz heavily – even the best ones – tend to allow more big plays than coordinators who play more coverage.

The Cardinals blitzed on almost 35 percent of their defensive snaps in 2022, second only to the Giants, but they also were tied for the second-most touchdowns allowed. The Eagles, by contrast, ranked 18th in blitz percentage (22.1%) in Gannon’s second season presiding over the team’s defense.

As""> we’ve reported on Inside The Birds, Gannon and the Eagles are fond of in-house candidate Dennard Wilson, who coaches defensive backs and is the pass defense coordinator. But they’re also doing their homework and have interviewed several candidates from the college and pro ranks, including former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai – a Vic Fangio disciple who spent last year as associate head coach for the Seahawks – and former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who has reportedly removed his name from consideration.

With the NFL Scouting Combine starting next week in Indianapolis, expect the Eagles to finish off their interview process within the next week.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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