Vance Joseph enters his fifth season with the Denver Broncos and third as defensive coordinator in 2025 after being hired by the club on Feb. 25, 2023. This marks his second stint with the Broncos, previously serving as the team's head coach for two seasons from 2017-18.

With 26 years of cumulative coaching experience at the professional and collegiate levels, Joseph re-joined the Broncos after working as defensive coordinator for Arizona from 2019-22. His other NFL stops include Miami (2016), Cincinnati (2014-15), Houston (2011-13) and San Francisco (2005-10).

Vance Joseph enters his fifth season with the Denver Broncos and third as defensive coordinator in 2025 after being hired by the club on Feb. 25, 2023. This marks his second stint with the Broncos, previously serving as the team's head coach for two seasons from 2017-18.

With 26 years of cumulative coaching experience at the professional and collegiate levels, Joseph re-joined the Broncos after working as defensive coordinator for Arizona from 2019-22. His other NFL stops include Miami (2016), Cincinnati (2014-15), Houston (2011-13) and San Francisco (2005-10).

Over his career, Joseph has coached a total of 11 Associated Press All-Pros, 16 Pro Bowlers and one AP Defensive Player of the Year. He has also been part of defenses in his NFL coaching career that ranked Top-10 in points allowed (5x), touchdowns (6x), total yards (5x), rushing yards (7x) and passing yards (5x).

In his two years as Broncos defensive coordinator, Joseph's defense has recorded the second most sacks (105.0) and seventh most takeaways (50) in the NFL.

During the 2024 season, Joseph coordinated a Broncos defense that ranked in the Top-10 in multiple statistical categories: sacks (63—1^st), yards per play (4.9—2nd), point per game (18.3—3rd), rushing yards per game (96.4—3rd) and total yards per game (317.1—7th). Denver's defense also helped lead the club to its first playoff appearance since 2015 and first winning season in eight years.

Under Joseph's tutelage, cornerback Pat Surtain II was named the 2024 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second player in franchise history to be awarded the honor. Three Broncos defenders were also named AP All-Pros in 2024: Surtain (first team), defensive lineman Zach Allen (second team) and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (second team). Surtain also earned his third-career Pro Bowl honors while Allen and Bonitto received the nod for the first time.

With a league-leading 63 sacks, the 2024 Broncos set the franchise record for most sacks in a season behind the emergence of Bonitto (13.5 sacks) and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (10.5 sacks), who became the first Broncos duo to record double-digit quarterback takedowns since 2018. Denver also had five players record at least 5.0 sacks, tied for the second-most on a team in NFL history.

In his first year back with Denver in 2023, Joseph helped oversee a defensive turnaround midseason which ranked them second in third down conversion percentage (30.4) and seventh in points allowed per game (19.4) from Week 7 through the rest of the year. The defense also helped the Broncos to a five-game winning streak from Weeks 7-12, where they totaled a league-best 16 takeaways in that stretch—the most by the team in a five-game stretch since 2005.

Under Joseph, Surtain and safety Justin Simmons were voted to their second career Pro Bowls while Simmons was also named an Associate Press second-team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career.

In four seasons with Joseph at the helm, the Cardinals' defense ranked in the Top-10 in forced fumbles (62—T-2^nd), tackles for loss (342—4^th), fumble recoveries (43—T-4^th) and sacks (165—T-8^th).

While serving as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, Joseph oversaw the development of safety Budda Baker, who earned two Associated Press All-Pro selections (2020-21) and four Pro Bowl nods (2019-22). Outside linebacker Chandler Jones also thrived in Joseph's defense, receiving an AP All-Pro selection in 2019 and two Pro Bowl honors in 2019 and '21.

Defensive end J.J. Watt, who played his final NFL season under Joseph in 2022, posted double-digit sacks (12.5) for the first time since 2018. His 12.5 sacks ranked tied for fourth among all players in the NFC.

In 2021, Joseph led a defense that ranked in the Top-10 in multiple categories, including fumbles recovered (14—T-1^st), rushing touchdowns allowed (10—T-3^rd), takeaways (27—7^th) and passing yards allowed (214.4 ypg—7^th). Baker earned his second All-Pro honor after producing the most interception return yards (101) in the NFL while ranking tied for fifth among safeties tackles for loss (6) and sacks (2).

Posting Top-10 finishes in numerous defensive categories in 2020, Arizona's unit tallied the fourth-most sacks (48), fifth-most tackles for loss (88), seventh-fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (13) and 10^th-fewest passing yards (226.4 ypg). Joseph helped Baker earn his first All-Pro honor that season after he recorded 118 tackles (90 solo), two sacks (23 yds.), two interceptions (90 yds.), six passes defensed and one forced fumble.

In his first season with the Cardinals in 2019, Joseph helped Jones to an All-Pro selection after he ranked tied for first in forced fumbles (8) and notched the second-most sacks (19) in the league.

As head coach of the Broncos from 2017-18, Joseph oversaw a team that featured a stout defense. The unit ranked tied for fifth in rushing scores allowed (20) and eighth in yards per game allowed (327.6) while producing a trio of defensive Pro Bowlers in cornerback Chris Harris (2018), outside linebacker Von Miller (2017-18) and cornerback Aqib Talib (2017).

Leading the Broncos for a second season in 2018, Joseph oversaw a team that produced four Pro Bowlers. In addition, he took the NFL's 22^nd-ranked defense in 2017 (23.9 ppg) and helped the unit rank 12^th in 2018 (21.8 ppg).

In 2017, Joseph helped the Broncos join Minnesota as the only two NFL teams to finish in the Top 5 in both pass defense (200.6 ypg—4^th) and run defense (89.4 ypg—5^th), which was a significant improvement for a defense that ranked 28th against the run prior to his arrival.

As defensive coordinator for Miami in 2016, Joseph oversaw a defense that played a key role in the Dolphins' return to the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. Joseph's defense ranked fourth in the NFL on third down conversions (36.2%) while forcing the sixth-most negative plays (107) in the league.

The Dolphins won nine of their final 11 regular-season games in 2016 with Joseph's defense accounting for the fourth-most takeaways (21) in the NFL during that stretch. The Dolphins' two Pro Bowl selections came on the defensive side with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cameron Wake each having resurgent seasons under Joseph.

Joseph helped the Bengals to back-to-back playoff appearances as their defensive backs coach from 2014-15 under Head Coach Marvin Lewis, guiding a unit that contributed to a league-best 41 interceptions during that span. The Bengals were the only team to post more interceptions than touchdowns allowed (36) during that two-year stretch while holding opposing quarterbacks to the lowest combined passer rating (77.4) in the NFL.

Two veteran members of the Bengals' secondary made their first career Pro Bowls in 2015—cornerback Adam Jones and safety Reggie Nelson—as Cincinnati tied a team record for regular-season wins (12) and finished first in the AFC North Division.

During his first year as Cincinnati's defensive backs coach in 2014, Joseph's group helped the Bengals post the third-most interceptions (20) while allowing the third-fewest passing touchdowns (18) in the league. Four different Bengals defensive backs totaled multiple interceptions as part of a pass defense that ranked sixth in the league in yards per pass attempt (6.6).

Joseph coached defensive backs for three seasons (2011-13) in Houston under Head Coach Gary Kubiak, helping the Texans to three consecutive top-seven NFL rankings in overall defense. Joseph's secondary contributed to the team allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game (203.5) during that three-year stretch, helping Houston to its first two division titles in team history and playoff wins in 2011 and '12.

Joseph's first NFL coaching experience came with San Francisco, where he was hired as assistant defensive backs coach in 2005 before being promoted to defensive backs coach from 2006-10.

Before starting his NFL coaching career, Joseph spent a year coaching the secondary at Bowling Green State University in 2004. He helped the Falcons to a 9-3 record, a top-25 national ranking and a victory in the GMAC Bowl.

Joseph began his coaching career at the University of Colorado under Head Coach Gary Barnett in December 1999 as a graduate assistant. He served in that capacity through the 2001 season that culminated with the Buffs' Big 12 Championship and Fiesta Bowl appearance.

Joseph accepted a position coaching defensive backs at the University of Wyoming during the spring of 2002 before returning to CU in the same capacity that fall. The youngest full-time coach at Colorado at the time of his hire, Joseph worked with CU's secondary for two seasons (2002-03) before accepting a position at Bowling Green.

A three-year letterwinner as a quarterback at CU from 1990-94 and a member of its 1990 National Championship team, Joseph saw action in 30 games for the Buffs as a backup to All-Americans Darian Hagan and Kordell Stewart. Also a running back and special-teams standout for CU, he completed 34-of-61 career passes (55.7%) for 454 yards with four touchdowns in addition to rushing 50 times for 237 yards (4.7 avg.) with one touchdown during his collegiate career.

After signing with the New York Jets as a college free agent in 1995, Joseph converted to cornerback and started 6-of-13 games played as a rookie, totaling 21 tackles (17 solo), two interceptions (39 yds.) and five passes defensed. He played four more games with Indianapolis in 1996 before competing with Denver during the 1997 preseason.

The Marrero, La., native starred at Archbishop Shaw (La.) High School, where he led his team to a 37-6 record in his three seasons as the starting quarterback and won Louisiana's 4A state championship as a sophomore. He garnered USA Today honorable-mention All-America honors as a senior and also lettered all four seasons in basketball.

Born on Sept. 20, 1972, Joseph and his wife, Holly, have a daughter, Nataly, and a son, Stone. Joseph's older brother, Mickey, a former quarterback at the University of Nebraska (1988-91), has served as head coach at Grambling State University since 2024.

ASSOCIATED PRESS DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR COACHED (8): CB Pat Surtain II (2024)

ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-PRO PLAYERS COACHED (11): DL Zach Allen (2024), S Budda Baker (2020-21), OLB Nik Bonitto (2024), DE Chandler Jones (2019), CB Johnathan Joseph (2011), OLB Von Miller (2017-18), S Reggie Nelson (2015), S Justin Simmons (2023), CB Pat Surtain II (2024) DT Ndamukong Suh (2016), OLB Cameron Wake (2016).

PRO BOWL PLAYERS COACHED (16): S Budda Baker (2019-22), OLB Nik Bonitto (2024), CB Chris Harris (2018), CB Walt Harris (2006), CB Adam Jones (2015), DE Chandler Jones (2019, '21), CB Johnathan Joseph (2011-12), LS Casey Kreiter (2018), RB Phillip Lindsay (2018), OLB Von Miller (2017-18), S Reggie Nelson (2015), S Justin Simmons (2023), DT Ndamukong Suh (2016), SC Pat Surtain II (2023-24), CB Aqib Talib (2017), OLB Cameron Wake (2016).

COACHING EXPERIENCE

Denver Broncos

Defensive Coordinator 2023-25

Head Coach 2017-18

Arizona Cardinals

Defensive Coordinator 2019-22

Miami Dolphins

Defensive Coordinator 2016

Cincinnati Bengals

Defensive Backs 2014-15

Houston Texans

Defensive Backs 2011-13

San Francisco 49ers

Defensive Backs 2006-10

Asst. Defensive Backs 2005

Bowling Green State University

Defensive Backs 2004

University of Colorado

Defensive Backs 2002-03

Graduate Assistant 1999-2001

University of Wyoming

Defensive Backs 2002 (Spring)