Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos

As the Denver Broncos’ defense has emerged as a cornerstone of the team’s late-season playoff push, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has become a key voice in explaining the unit’s transformation. With a background spanning over two decades in the NFL—including head coaching experience—Joseph brings a unique blend of tactical expertise and player development acumen to the Broncos. His insights into the defense’s strengths, areas of growth, and strategic approach offer a behind-the-scenes look at why this unit has gone from inconsistent to dominant in 2024. Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos explores Joseph’s philosophy on defense, his approach to maximizing player talent, his game-planning process, key adjustments that fueled the team’s surge, and his vision for the defense’s future.

Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos begins with Joseph’s core defensive philosophy, which he describes as “aggressive yet disciplined—focused on creating chaos for the offense while eliminating big plays.” In a sit-down interview with local sports media, Joseph explained that his system is built around three pillars: pressure, coverage, and tackling. “We want to pressure the quarterback early and often, but not at the cost of giving up deep passes,” he said. “We want to play tight coverage, but we teach our defenders to be physical without drawing penalties. And we want to tackle well—because even the best coverage doesn’t matter if you let a receiver break a tackle for a touchdown.” This philosophy has manifested in the Broncos’ defensive stats: through 14 games, they rank third in the AFC in sacks (38), fifth in pass breakups (65), and seventh in tackling efficiency (86%). Joseph emphasized that this success isn’t just about scheme—it’s about aligning the system with the players’ strengths. “You don’t force a square peg into a round hole,” he added. “We build our game plans around what our guys do best, and that’s why we’ve been able to execute at a high level.”

Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos next delves into Joseph’s approach to maximizing the talent of his defensive roster—particularly the breakout success of outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Joseph explained that he identified Bonitto’s speed and agility as untapped assets early in the offseason, and worked with pass-rush specialist coach Bill Kollar to design drills that would help Bonitto translate those traits into sacks. “Nik has always had the physical tools, but he needed to refine his technique and learn how to read offensive tackles,” Joseph said. “We worked on his hand placement, his timing, and his ability to set up blockers with different moves. Now, he’s not just a speed rusher—he’s a complete pass-rusher who can beat you in multiple ways.” Joseph also highlighted his work with veteran safety Justin Simmons, who has returned to Pro Bowl form this season with 4 interceptions and 12 pass breakups. “Justin is a student of the game, so we give him more freedom to read the quarterback and make plays,” Joseph said. “We trust him to adjust coverage on the fly, and that’s led to some big turnovers for us.” This player-centric approach has been a hallmark of Joseph’s tenure, and it’s a major reason why the Broncos’ defense has been so consistent.

Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos covers Joseph’s game-planning process, which he described as “a collaborative effort that starts on Monday and evolves throughout the week.” Joseph explained that each week begins with a film study session with his coaching staff, where they break down the upcoming opponent’s offensive tendencies—from their favorite formations to their go-to plays on third down. “We look for patterns,” he said. “Does this team run the ball 70% of the time on first down? Do they target their tight end on third-and-long? Do they struggle to block blitzes from the edge?” Once they identify these tendencies, the staff designs a base game plan, then meets with the players to walk through the scheme. Throughout the week, they adjust the plan based on practice performance—if a coverage looks sloppy, they simplify it; if a blitz package is working well, they add variations. For the Denver Broncos, this meticulous process has paid off: in their 6-1 streak since Week 9, the defense has held opponents to their lowest average yards per play (4.8) and lowest third-down conversion rate (32%) of any team in the AFC. “Game-planning isn’t about being clever—it’s about being prepared,” Joseph said. “We put in the work during the week, so our guys can play fast on Sundays.”

Another layer of Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos is the key adjustments Joseph made mid-season that fueled the defense’s turnaround. After a slow start in the first eight games (where the defense ranked 18th in the NFL in points allowed), Joseph identified two critical issues: the pass rush was too predictable, and the secondary was giving up too many deep passes. To fix the pass rush, he added more “stunts” and “twists”—where defensive linemen swap positions to confuse offensive tackles—and began using linebackers and safeties as blitzers more frequently. “We were relying too much on our edge rushers to get to the quarterback,” Joseph said. “By adding more blitzers from different positions, we made it harder for offenses to block us.” To fix the deep passing issue, he simplified the coverage schemes, focusing on “zone coverage with eyes on the quarterback” instead of complex man-to-man looks that were leading to miscommunications. These adjustments paid immediate dividends: in the past seven games, the Broncos have allowed just 3 deep passes (20+ yards) for touchdowns, down from 8 in the first eight games. For the Denver Broncos, these mid-season tweaks were a turning point—they transformed a mediocre defense into a dominant one, and they’ve been a major factor in the team’s playoff push.

Defensive Coordinator's Insights on the Denver Broncos wraps up with Joseph’s vision for the defense’s future, both for the remainder of the 2024 season and beyond. Joseph emphasized that the key to sustained success is “staying hungry and not getting complacent—even as we win games.” He noted that the defense still has areas to improve, including red-zone defense (they rank 12th in the AFC in red-zone stop rate) and tackling in open space. “We’re not perfect, and we know it,” he said. “We’re going to keep working on those areas, because in the playoffs, every mistake matters.” Looking ahead to next season, Joseph expressed confidence that the defense can remain elite, thanks to a core of young, talented players like Bonitto, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and defensive tackle D.J. Jones. “We have a great foundation here,” he said. “We have players who are still developing, and we have a system that works. If we can keep this group together, we can be one of the best defenses in the NFL for years to come.” For the Denver Broncos, Joseph’s insights offer a roadmap for continued defensive success—one that could lead not just to a playoff berth this season, but to long-term contention. As the team heads into the final stretch of the regular season, Joseph’s leadership and strategic mind will remain critical to the Broncos’ hopes of making a deep postseason run. “We’re focused on one game at a time,” he said. “But we know what we’re capable of, and we’re ready to prove it.”