INDIANAPOLIS — Sean Payton wanted to bring a former Broncos head coach back to Denver to lead the defense.
He accomplished that by landing Vance Joseph.
But that wasn’t always the plan.
At the beginning of the process, it was a different former head coach.
“Vic was supposed to be part of the plan then you guys scared him away,” Payton said with a smirk on Tuesday, admitting Vic Fangio becoming the team’s defensive coordinator was a possibility for a time.
Shortly after the news came out that the Broncos were acquiring Payton from the Saints, a report surfaced that Fangio was in talks to potentially return to Denver, despite interest from the Dolphins as well. Months before, it was also reported Payton wanted Fangio on his staff if he got a head coaching job this year.
That report appears to have been true.
“Do I think he would have been a great asset for us? Yes,” Payton stated without hesitation about Fangio. “We were planning, on this year away, if the right scenario came up, that we would work together. I think this one was just a little unique because it wasn’t too long ago he was here. But certainly I tried. I talked to him. Tried to twist his arm and I’m excited for his opportunity in Miami.”
Of course, just over a year ago, Fangio was fired as the head coach of the Broncos after leading the team to a 19-30 record over three seasons.
When Fangio pivoted back to become the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator, Payton pivoted back to former Broncos head coaches.
“I knew right away I wanted to interview Vance,” Payton stated on Tuesday from the NFL Combine.
“We went through the process, kind of a couple of steps to it, we felt like we were going to be real patient with that hire and dig as much as we could relative to finding the right guy,” Payton said, expanding on his decision to hire Joseph as the team’s next defensive coordinator. “Rex [Ryan], Matt [Patricia], Sean Desai were outstanding. But in the end, there were a few things that I felt that Vance was going to bring. Not necessarily because he had experience in Denver, but really more what he was able to do, believe it or not, in Arizona. That was a tough job for a number of years. So we’re excited to have him on our defensive staff.”
In his two seasons as the Broncos’ head coach — where he had an 11-21 record — Joseph’s defenses finished as the 22nd and 13th-best scoring units in the NFL. In the four years since, Joseph’s defenses in Arizona have been the 28th, 12th, 11th and 31st best, in terms of points, in the league.
While the final results weren’t there, both Payton and George Paton agreed he wasn’t dealt the best hand in the desert.
“I’ve admired Vance from afar. I’ve never known him. I’ve heard a lot of good things,” Denver’s general manager said on Tuesday. “We talked to a lot of different offensive coaches who have gone against Vance. He’s hard to scheme against. He’s hard to go against. He hasn’t always been in the perfect situation. His defenses always play hard. They’re hard to scheme against. They get after the quarterback. They’re good in the pass game. Turn the ball over. Just talking to a lot of people in the league, I’ve always had a lot of respect for Vance. I think he’s going to be great.”
A characteristic about Joseph’s defense is it’s aggressiveness. That caught the Broncos’ attention when they had him in the building for an all-day interview.
“They’re a little more attacking, a little more aggressive, get up the field. I do feel like our defensive line fits that mold,” Paton said. “We watched a lot of tape with Vance and he has a vision for our defensive line and some of the pieces we have up front. Our outside backers, they’re athletic, they can rush the passer. You can ask Vance, but he feels like our defensive front really fits what he does.”
After a four-year trip to the desert, Joseph is back in Denver. And while Fangio won’t be joining along for the reunion, another big name could still be on the way.
“He and I are going to talk this week. I wouldn’t rule that out, though, if that were to possibly—if that possibly came to fruition it would be for a few things,” Payton said, talking about Matt Patricia. “I certainly would want to talk to Vance and our defensive coaches. But I know Matt well enough to know how smart he is and what he can contribute. So we’ll see.”
Patricia, who Payton called ”extremely talented,” interviewed for Denver’s defensive coordinator position before the team hired Joseph. After helping call the Patriots’ offense last year, it appears Patricia is ready to get back on the defensive side of the ball. That transition could happen in Denver.
If it does, Patricia would not only be under Payton on the coaching tree, but new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as well.
