DENVER — John Elway is the boss, but Vance Joseph has owned this offseason.
The Denver Broncos’ head coach claimed new responsibilities just hours after Elway decided to bring back his head coach for a second year on the job. After sleeping on the decision of whether or not to give Joseph a second shot, not only did Elway agree to bring Joseph back, he decided to let him run his show and be the guy.
Joseph took this responsibility and ran with it, starting minutes after his boss informed him he had another chance. The first change was to his coaching staff.
Before the media could even leave the building after wrapping up the 2017 season with a press conference with Joseph and Elway, sweeping changes hit the coaching staff. With changes expected on special teams and offensive line, it was the firing of two long-time Broncos coaches, wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert and running back coach Eric Studesville, that opened everyone’s eyes to Joseph’s new handprint on the team.
Studesville and Tolbert were Broncos. They were beloved by the organization, their players and were two of the longest-tenured coaches on the staff, dating back to 2010 for Studesville and 2011 for Tolbert. But after a 5-11 season, Joseph pointed to a much needed “culture change” that needed to take place.
With six coaching vacancies needing to be filled, Joseph got the chance to put together his staff. As he drew from coaches with many different backgrounds and talents, there was clear evidence that Joseph’s fingerprints were all over the new hires.
At the season-ending press conference, Joseph preached the importance of being able to adapt to the college game and incorporate those concepts on his team moving forward, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. His new hires, unsurprisingly, had a wealth of college experience.
Additionally, new receiver coach Zach Azzanni actually coached with Joseph at Bowling Green in 2004, making it nearly impossible not to see Joseph’s influence on the hiring.
But putting together his coaching staff was just the start.
In the next wave of decisions that hit the organization, free agency, Joseph’s power was even more evident than before.
Of the four most notable signings during the start of free agency, the head coach clearly had significant input, starting with the biggest acquisition: Case Keenum.
Throughout the entirety of his rookie season all the way through this offseason, Joseph continued to preach that the quarterback’s most important job was to not turn the ball over.
While many thought Elway was going to make a big slash at the quarterback position in free agency—a.k.a. sign Kirk Cousins—the organization went a different direction, instead signing the quarterback who best protected the ball, fulfilling Joseph’s wish.
On top of that, Joseph spent two years with Keenum on the Houston Texans during the quarterbacks’ first two seasons in the league. Joseph got to see first hand what type of player and person he was.
The Broncos’ second move of free agency, signing cornerback Tramaine Brock, was a clear Joseph move as well. Not only did Joseph coach Brock as his defensive backs coach in San Francisco in 2010, Joseph was the reason Brock got a shot in the NFL.
“I was with Tramaine in San Francisco, he was my free agent,” Joseph said, admitting he was the reason the 49ers signed Brock as an undrafted rookie free agent.
After seven years apart, it would be difficult to believe Brock wasn’t again Joseph’s free agent this time around.
Finally, the third move in free agency also highly appealed to Denver’s head coach. During the final week of the 2017 season, Todd Davis was named the Broncos 2017 Ed Block Courage Award recipient for exemplifying commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. That prompted Joseph to give the highest praise to Davis.
“Todd is special,” Joseph said, rarely giving compliments like this. “Todd is one of our best leaders. Todd plays with injuries. Todd never complains. Todd is the same guy every day. Todd is an example of being a great pro. Through the good times and through the bad times, Todd has never changed. His work ethic has never changed. If it’s a walkthrough, Todd is full speed. Todd is what I want all of our guys to aspire to be.”
Five minutes into the official start of free agency, the Broncos signed Davis to a three-year extension, keeping one of Joseph’s favorite players, and people, on his squad.
While the draft will be Elway’s responsibility, as Joseph has said, the head coaches handprints have just begun to touch the organization.
Last year, Joseph admitted his biggest weakness was giving too much leeway to his coaching staff. Don’t expect that to happen again under his watch.
