The Ravens have completed an interview with Broncos Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph for their head coach opening.
Here are five things to know about Joseph:
His defense is one of the best in the league.
The Broncos' defense has been dominant this season.
They rank No. 2 in yards (278.2 per game), No. 3 in points (18.3), and first in sacks (68).
Denver's defense is a major reason why the Broncos are the AFC's top seed entering the playoffs with a 14-3 record this season.
The defensive dominance is nothing new. Last year, the Broncos were third in yards and seventh in points.
He can unlock a pass rush.
Last season, the Broncos set a franchise record with 63 sacks. This season, they one-upped it.
The Broncos' 68 sacks this year are tied for the fifth most in NFL single-season history – four behind the 1984 Chicago Bears.
Picked with the last selection in the second round in 2022, linebacker Nik Bonitto has become one of the NFL's top pass rushers on Joseph's watch with 27.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
Joseph gets pass rush production from across his unit. There were 17 different Broncos players who had at least a partial sack this season. They had 10 players record at least three sacks this season. The Ravens had three such players this year.
Baltimore struggled to get to the quarterback this season with 30 sacks. Joseph would help in that department.
He has previous head coaching experience.
Joseph was the Broncos' head coach in 2017 and 2018. During that time, they had an 11-21 record.
The Broncos' quarterbacks in 2017 were Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler. In 2018, it was Case Keenum.
While Joseph's two seasons at the helm didn't go well, he didn't have as strong a roster as he would have in Baltimore. His defenses both years as head coach in Denver were formidable, ranking third in yards allowed in 2017 and 13th in points in 2018.
Joseph reflected on his first stint as a head coach recently with ESPN's Peter Schrager and what he would change a second time around. Essentially, he said he spent too much on trying to solve Denver's quarterback issue.
"I think the overall philosophy of building a team, I was chasing the wrong thing," Joseph said on his “The Schrager Hour” podcast.
"I should have spent my time on … playing great defense, right? Building an offensive line, having a winning formula where I didn't need a Peyton Manning or John Elway at the time because those things are hard to find. That's unicorns, right? And you need obviously picks and lots of money and some misfortune to kind of pick those guys at the top five. And we weren't there. So, to chase that, that unicorn, right, before I chased building the O-line, let's run, or let's take care of the football, let's play defense. The defense was still top 10, but I thought I missed a mark on that."
He has a relationship with Kliff Kingsbury.
Joseph's four years in Arizona (2019-2022) were spent under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Together, they finished with a 28-37-1 record and one playoff appearance.
When he arrived in Arizona, Joseph inherited a unit that ranked No. 26 in points allowed the previous year. By his final year, they had improved to No. 11.
Joseph and Kingsbury had a close bond, and now both are on the market after Kingsbury and the Washington Commanders mutually agreed to part ways. The two could team up again if Kingsbury were to remain an offensive coordinator.
He's a former player.
A Louisiana native, Joseph, 53, attended the University of Colorado, where he played quarterback and running back.
He was a backup to All-Americans Darian Hagan and Kordell Stewart. Joseph saw some action, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for another, and was a member of Colorado's 1990 National Championship team.
He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 1995 and converted to defensive back. He played two seasons in the NFL, started six games, and made two interceptions.
