For their part, the Broncos kept a narrow focus in their coaching search after Kubiak left.
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Additionally, former coaches who worked with Joseph chimed in with the following thoughts about Denver’s new head coach. In the previous 10 years he spent in the league, he had only served as a defensive backs coach.
However, despite becoming a respected defensive mind over the years, he has only served as a National Football League defensive coordinator with the Dolphins after being a defensive backs coach with all three of the aforementioned franchises.
College Coaching Experience: Colorado graduate assistant (1999-2001), Wyoming (2002), Colorado defensive backs coach (2002-2003), Bowling Green Falcons defensive backs (2004).
The two sides are now working on the financial terms of the deal for the 44-year-old defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, the source said.
From 2006 to 2015, Joseph was a defensive backs coach for the 49ers, Texans and Bengals.
Miami has some injuries on their defense this season as starting strong safety Reshad Jones, starting free safety Isa Abdul-Quddas, linebackers Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins, cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Xavien Howard all missed significate time due to injury.
Musgrave also has connections with the Broncos, having played his final two years with the team.
Joseph was the third candidate to interview with the organization, meeting for almost four hours on Tuesday then having dinner with team officials at Elway’s steakhouse in Cherry Creek later in the evening. Their problems began when Kubiak suffered a complex migraine condition that required emergency medical attention following the Broncos’ first loss of the season in week 5 against Atlanta. Should that side of the ball remains a headache, all the more pressure will land on Joseph to match on the defensive side of the ball what Phillips accomplished during his brief, brilliant tenure as the Broncos’ coordinator.
This hiring is somewhat of a philosophical change for the Broncos.
It wasn’t just the players. His defense didn’t exactly light the world on fire, either: It finished 18th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed, and it was most recently seen getting blown out by the Steelers in the wild-card round.
The Broncos selected Joseph over offensive coach – and son to former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan – Kyle Shanahan. After leading Denver to a Super Bowl title in 2015, Kubiak stepped down for health reasons. Head coach Adam Gase has not ruled out looking at other possible candidates for the vacancy outside the team, but the job is considered “Burke’s to lose”, as reported by Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero.
The Broncos’ offense, meanwhile, struggled the past two years.
“When you sit in staff meetings and in game plan meetings and his ability to interject and have an opinion on things-a well thought of and researched opinion-I think there’s no question in my mind that he has the ability to lead the room and lead men and get them pointed in the right direction and take those steps to be a head coach”.
He returned to Broncos headquarters Wednesday morning to negotiate a four-year contract.
Joseph also had interviews lined up with the Chargers on Wednesday, the 49ers on Thursday and the Rams on Friday.
Joseph then stayed over Tuesday night and dined with Elway and Russell and Elway’s steakhouse in Cherry Creek.
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A minority hire is unprecedented for the Broncos. For us, Vance Joseph is the best fit to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
