It’s easy to see why Sean Payton tried to recruit Vic Fangio to the Denver Broncos during the offseason. Payton also interviewed Rex Ryan, but the team ultimately ended up hiring Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator.
Through two games, the results under Joseph have not been good. Denver’s talented defense allowed 35 points to the Washington Commanders in Week 2. One week earlier, the Commanders only managed to score 20 points against the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
Buy Broncos Tickets“I thought we were poor,” Payton said of the defense after Sunday’s 35-33 loss. “We [the offense] didn’t help them with the field position, with the turnover, but our red-zone defense was poor. First-down defense — we’re not fitting certain pressures. … I didn’t think we played well, and we’re going to see a lot better offenses than that.”
Payton did not mention Joseph directly by name, but it’s clear that he is not pleased with the defense’s performance through two games.
Payton likely would have reunited with Fangio this offseason had he not been hired by the Broncos.
“Do I think he would have been a great asset for us? Yes,” Payton said of Fangio on Feb. 28. “So we were planning [during our] year away that if the right scenario came up, that we’d work together. I think this one was just a little unique because it wasn’t too long ago that he was here.”
Fangio instead landed with the Miami Dolphins, who are set to host Denver in Week 3. The Broncos aren’t able to land Fangio now, but Joseph could be replaced by somebody else if the defense continues to struggle. Joseph might already be on the hot seat just two games into the 2023 season.
