Vance Joseph returned to the Denver Broncos in a surprising move that brought the ex-head coach back into the Mile High City. New head coach Sean Payton tabbed Joseph to be his defensive coordinator as Payton returns to the NFL sidelines after a one-year absence.
The Broncos, of course, fired Joseph after a disappointing 11-21 stint over two years. But now, Joseph returns in a lower-pressure role, if something of that ilk exists. Some might wonder why someone would return to a team or a place of employment that fired them. So Joseph spoke honestly about his decision to return to the Broncos.
NFL Network personality James Palmer, who spoke with Joseph via text, provided those reasons during a TV hit on Thursday:
“Two main reasons he wanted this job and to come here and lead this group. Obviously, 1, a dominant roster on the defensive side of the ball. All the struggles this team has had on the offensive side over the last several years, specifically this past year, the defense has remained consistently very good. He’s gonna have a safety and an All-Pro in Justin Simmons running the group who played for him in 2018 when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
The second one was he really thinks the world of Sean Payton. Said, ‘He’s a stud and I want to be part of his coaching staff.'”
It’s certainly not difficult to vibe with those reasons. The Bronco defense has a flurry of talented players, especially Simmons, who stands as one of the best safeties in the league. There are a lot of potential pieces to work with as well.
Secondly, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that there’s mutual respect between Joseph and Payton. Payton, who won a Super Bowl, is looked at as a luminary figure in the NFL. Despite that whole ‘Bountygate’ thing, of course.
