The Denver Broncos have gone through a handful of head coaches since Gary Kubiak retired following the team's Super Bowl run in 2015. Since then, the Broncos have employed Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett, and interim coach Jerry Rosburg. All of the Broncos' three former head coaches were unsuccessful in their time in Denver, but Joseph and Hackett were considerably worse than Fangio, who is currently trying to rehabilitate the Eagles' defense in Philadelphia.
So far, in 2024, each coordinator is on a quick trajectory but going differently. With each passing week, Joseph, who is back in Denver as defensive coordinator, is finally gaining national attention for his incredible work so far with his Broncos defense, including from NFL Network's Peter Schrager who called Joseph's defense the "best in the league."
Vance Joseph is thriving in new role with the Denver Broncos
To Schrager's point, the Orange Crush Defense is back in Denver. The Broncos currently have three pass rushers who are on pace to record double-digit sacks despite Baron Browning recently landing on IR. All the more impressive, this comes as the all-knowing football gods at Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos defensive line as football's second-worst entering 2024.
Joseph, with his defense led by the formidable trio of Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, and Zach Allen, has the Broncos wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines and getting quarterbacks to the ground faster than any other unit in the American Football Conference.
However, Joseph's competition for this honor is quickly becoming known as one of football's worst offensive coordinators. As put by SNY Jets' reporter Connor Hughes after the Hackett hire, "Dysfunctional doesn't begin to describe Broncos — it had nothing to do with the HC." Surely, based on this, Hackett has been all flowers and roses, right?... right?... RIGHT? Well, no. Hackett has been pretty horrible with the Jets, and even Aaron Rodgers seems annoyed with him. Hackett's offense is one of the most depressing in the NFL, and it might only be a matter of time until the bottom falls out on his tenure in New York.
The Jets are currently 27th in the NFL in total offensive yards, and Rodgers appears to be a shell of his former self. Then Jets' running game doesn't exactly inspire confidence, and the offense as a whole is struggling with many of the same issues the Broncos did with Hackett: penalties, long play calls, and general confusion about what is actually going on. It might only be a matter of time until a new play-caller is brought to the Meadowlands.
Hackett's time in New York has been short, but bad. While he continues to struggle, Vance Joseph has revived his career and is now one of the NFL's best defensive coordinators. As Joseph continues his rise, Hackett seems to be moving backward at the same rate. Before too long, Joseph will be getting head coach interviews while Hackett is preparing for life after football.