The Denver Broncos have been atrocious defensively through the first four games of the 2023 NFL season. It required a miraculous comeback against the Chicago Bears in order to just get this team their first win of the season after trailing 28-7. The Broncos need to make some changes defensively, but what?
Well, for starters, they will soon be getting some key players back from injury. That will be a start. But beyond that, could we see further changes made to the depth chart? Could we see changes made in terms of who is calling the plays defensively?
Let's take a look at some players -- and one obvious coach -- that need to be benched as soon as possible.
3 players (and 1 coach) the Denver Broncos should bench defensively
1. Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator
Let's start with the obvious, right? It's time the Denver Broncos pull some responsibility from Vance Joseph. Why would you wait until it's too late when you can clearly see the common issue with the defense in the first four weeks of the season is Vance Joseph?
The Broncos have given up 37.5 points per game so far this season -- last in the NFL. They've allowed 1,876 yards of offense through four games -- last in the NFL. They rank 31st in red zone percentage. They are dead last in rushing yards allowed. They've only forced three turnovers, 25th in the NFL.
Ultimately, you can't just "fire" Vance Joseph. You have to have a solution. There's probably nobody on the defense right now who knows the type of coverage schemes required to effectively run the "Fangio" defense better than defensive backs coach Christian Parker. I'm not sure how it could possibly be any worse having Christian Parker calling the shots out there than what we're seeing from Vance Joseph.