ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Vance Joseph and Wade Phillips have a lot in common. So when Joseph signed on to become the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in February, Joseph hopped on the phone to talk with Phillips.
“I did about a week after I signed back,” Joseph said.
Phillips, 75, served as the Broncos’ head coach in the 1993 and 1994 seasons. His team struggled. He was quickly replaced by Mike Shanahan. Twenty years later, Phillips returned to spend two—much more successful—seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Joseph, 50, was the Broncos’ head coach in the 2018 and 2018 seasons. Like Phillips, his team struggled. He, too, was replaced, but now he’s back as the team’s defensive coordinator.
When new Broncos head coach Sean Payton interviewed Joseph for the defensive coordinator position this offseason, his history with the Broncos was not a factor.
“I didn’t even think about it,” Payton said on Wednesday.
So, if Payton didn’t consider Joseph’s past, what exactly was he thinking about?
“There’s a calmness to him and professionalism to him that I appreciate,” Payton said. “I just think that there’s a poise and a credibility when he presents that’s impressive. I think he’s an extremely good communicator, and I think he’s an extremely good leader.”
Part of the reason Joseph chose to return to the Broncos was the value of working under Sean Payton, a Super Bowl-winning head coach. Joseph said he’s enjoyed seeing how Payton approaches his duties, especially as he tries to reinvent the culture of the Denver Broncos.
When the opportunity to work under Payton presented itself, Joseph hardly considered his past with the Broncos. He’s at peace with the decision to fire him, which he sees as purely the business of football.
“This is a league of winning,” Joseph said. “When you don’t win, there is going to be change. It was never personal for me. I came here and I worked my butt off, but it didn’t work.”
If anything, returning to the city that gave him the boot four years ago fell into the “Pros” column, not the “Cons” column.
“I had some choices after leaving Arizona, but Denver is home,” Joseph said. “This is a great place with a great fanbase. We have a home here still. For me, it was home. Outside of working with Sean, it was the perfect spot for me.”
Only a few familiar faces remain in the locker room from Joseph’s time as head coach. Garett Bolles, Josey Jewell, Tim Patrick, Justin Simmons and Courtland Sutton are the only holdovers. Brandon McManus also played under Joseph but was released a few weeks ago.
Joseph said there is no uncomfortable about returning to the locker room.
“It was basically, ‘Welcome back. It’s good to see you. Let’s win some football games,'” Joseph said. “There was nothing special. In this business, you move around, and you change jobs often. To come back to Denver was special for me. To see those four or five guys also made it special. It’s good to be back.”
Joseph has been following along with his former players.
“You don’t leave guys and not watch their careers,” Joseph said. “You follow those guys, and you don’t lose track of them.”
That also applies to Kareem Jackson, who played under Joseph when Joseph was a defensive backs coach in Houston.
“He was a little fat kid when I had him as a second-year guy in Houston,” Joseph said of the 35-year-old safety. “Now, he’s a grown man. He’s smart, and he’s a great leader for our defense. It’s been fun to watch.”
The defensive coordinator of that Texans team was Phillips, a man with whom Joseph wants to share just a little bit more in common.
“He reminded me that he was let go, and he came back as a coordinator and won a championship,” Joseph said. “That was his message to me. Hopefully, I can follow his trail.”
