The Denver Broncos’ defense was absolutely embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, allowing 350 rushing yards, 376 passing yards and 10 touchdowns in a 70-20 loss in Week 3.
That dismal performance has led to many fans and pundits (including Broncos Wire) asking for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to be fired. Denver, however, will not fire Joseph, at least not this week.
Buy Broncos Tickets“No, and that would not be something that I’d shared on a conference call if that were ever the case,” head coach Sean Payton said when asked during Monday’s conference call if he was considering making changes to the coaching staff. “So no, to answer your question.”
If the Broncos’ defense continues to struggle, Joseph’s status might be revisited later in the season. If he eventually is fired, Denver would obviously need an in-season replacement. The Broncos could perhaps consider bringing back Wade Phillips or hiring Rex Ryan, who interviewed for the DC job this offseason.
Denver’s most obvious in-house candidate is defensive backs coach Christian Parker, but it might not be fair to dump this mess on him during the season.
For now, the Broncos are sticking with Joseph. We’ll see if that changes in the coming weeks.
