Report: Denver Broncos want Vance Joseph to work out

Prior to the Denver Broncos snapping an eight-game losing streak, there was a report that John Elway wants ‘very badly’ for Vance Joseph to work out…

Well, you can chalk this one up as about as shocking as the Denver Broncos’ shutout win over the New York Jets on Sunday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Broncos’ brass — including John Elway and Joe Ellis — ‘very badly’ want things to work out with head coach Vance Joseph.

This report flies in the face of everything else we’ve heard up to this point in regards to the Broncos’ coaching situation, in that they would be willing to fire a first-year head coach with as poorly as this team has played in 2017.

But in Joseph’s defense, the Broncos’ quarterback situation is terrible. Sunday was only the fourth game of the season where the Broncos have taken a lead into halftime thanks largely to turnovers.

Here’s the report by Rapoport, so you can get a sense of what he’s hearing:

This goes along somewhat with reports we’ve heard in recent weeks from Mike Klis in Denver, who has been skeptical (at best) that the Broncos would fire Joseph at the end of the season.

In fact, in a recent radio appearance, he indicated that Joseph would have to win two games to close out the season (with four to play, at the time) to keep his job.

Well, one down.

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If Joseph winning five games his rookie season as a head coach was something the Broncos anticipated going into the year, then there’s no way they can fire him for performance.

After all, if you expect to be bad, you can’t blame the head coach solely for being bad. Part of that would have to do with the roster and specifically at a key position (quarterback) that hasn’t been adequately addressed.

If ‘Rap Sheet’ is right about this, then there’s no reason to think the Broncos will be in the market for a new head coach at the end of the season, unless things go really, really poorly for the next three games.

And to be honest, the way the Broncos played on Sunday, it looks like they will easily be the favorites when they take on the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

This is a significant report, here. This would mean that Joseph is not necessarily treading on thin ice.

The way the Broncos played on Sunday, and have played in three additional games this season, perhaps that has been enough to convince Elway and Ellis that this is their head coach for 2018 still.