From allowing 70 points in 2023 against the Miami Dolphins to being near the top of the league in nearly every major metric in the 2024 season defensively, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been on quite a ride the last couple of seasons in his return to the Mile High City.
Joseph has done an outstanding job molding the talent in Denver and putting his players in position to succeed, calling a defense that led the NFL in sacks and pressures last season and saw the emergence of a number of key young players. Joseph is a defensive backs guy by trade, and has arguably the best collection of talent in the defensive backfield of any coordinator in the NFL.
That might have been true even before the 2025 NFL Draft, where the Broncos selected Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick. Barron was considered arguably the best cornerback in this year's draft class (depending on your thoughts about Travis Hunter) and was therefore somewhat of a no-brainer for the Broncos when he fell into their laps.
We finally got to hear Joseph's thoughts on the Barron pick, and he said what every fan of the team already knew.
Vance Joseph gushes over Broncos selection of Jahdae Barron
"He was a can't-miss prospect for us. He can tackle, he can cover, he has excellent ball skills ... it was a no-brainer to draft him."
- Vance Joseph (via ESPN)
Joseph also talked about the fact that his cousin, Terry Joseph, coached Barron for three years at Texas, so he'd already gotten a lot of chance to watch him play.
The Broncos still don't have Barron signed to his rookie contract, which won't officially be concerning until rookies report for training camp in July. Barron was still in attendance for OTAs and mandatory minicamp, practicing in full, so he's obviously not concerned, either.
The Denver secondary is going to be fun to watch the team sort out since they already have the Defensive Player of the Year in Pat Surtain II, a breakout player in Riley Moss, and a two-year starter in Ja'Quan McMillian. Even when you have that type of depth in the defensive backfield, you can't pass on a "can't miss" prospect, as Joseph put it.
Many in Broncos Country questioned the decision to take another defensive back with a couple of other more pressing needs on the roster, but the team couldn't pass on a player who was this high on their board. It'll be up to Vance Joseph this season to make sure that decision is proven to be the correct one.