EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A year ago, the Broncos were coming off a humiliating 70-20 loss in Florida in Week 3, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was on the hot seat.
Now, the Broncos are coming off a resounding 26-7 win in Florida in Week 3 and Joseph is simply hot.
It’s amazing how far Denver’s defense has come from that ugly 2023 defeat at Miami through last Sunday’s upset of previously undefeated Tampa Bay. Entering Sunday’s game against the New York Jets (2-1) at MetLife Stadium, the Broncos (1-2) are third in the NFL in total defense and sixth in points allowed. Last year, when the defense showed signs of improvement at midseason, they were Nos. 29 and 27, respectively, in those categories.
“Last year doesn’t matter,’’ said Joseph, in his second season alongside coach Sean Payton. “We’re way beyond that. Last year was last year. That was that defense. We’re a different team (with) different coaches, different personnel, different mindset.”
And the numbers are a lot different. The Broncos last year gave up an average of 370.8 yards per game, including 726 in the Miami meltdown. This season, they’re giving up an average of 259.3 yards through three games. They’re giving up 15.3 points per game after allowing an average of 24.3 last year.
Yes, the Broncos still have a losing record. But the defensive performances in Week 1, a 26-20 loss at Seattle that included two Denver safeties, and in Week 2, a 13-6 home loss to Pittsburgh, were games that were winnable had the offense not struggled.
“I’m pleased, but I’m not surprised where we are," safety P.J. Locke said of the team’s defense so far. “(Joseph) went out and got the guys he needed for his defense. He changed a little bit of the style he’s trying to run.”
Joseph went to more of an attacking style and that has paid off with 11 sacks so far, including a whopping seven against the Buccaneers. New defensive players to Denver who have paid dividends include linemen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach, linebacker Cody Barton, outside linebackers Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman and safety Brandon Jones.
Watching Denver’s defensive resurgence with interest has been Chris Harris Jr., a Broncos star cornerback from 2011-19. His nine seasons with the team included when Joseph was the head coach in 2017 and 2018.
“Coach Joseph always has had a great system,’’ Harris said. “He’s always been a good coach and rarely are his defenses very bad. I just figured that he would get it together. They have some nice pieces. (Nose tackle) D.J. Jones is a great anchor, run stopper. (Franklin-Myers) is solid. (Defensive end) Zach Allen is playing at an All-Pro, Pro Bowl level.”
Harris also lauded the play of outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who has a team-high three sacks, and of the secondary. He called Pat Surtain II, who this season has been shadowing star receivers D.K. Metcalf of Seattle, George Pickens of Pittsburgh and Mike Evans of Tampa Bay, a “shutdown” cornerback who “can do it all.” He lauded Brandon Jones, who has done a solid job in replacing Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons and had a 37-yard interception return late in the first quarter against the Buccaneers.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, on that play inside linebacker Alex Singleton suffered a torn right ACL. He ended up playing every snap in the game but the injury was detected later in the day and he was ruled out for the season.
“It hurts a lot,’’ Joseph said of the loss of Singleton, Denver’s leading tackler the previous two seasons and with 31 in the first three games this season.
Against the Jets, Barton will replace Singleton in wearing the green dot on his helmet and calling defensive signals. Kristian Welch could move into the lineup as the other starting inside linebacker.
Despite the loss of Singleton, Joseph remains confident the Broncos will continue to execute on defense as they have been.
“The players are really, really engaged every week, and they take to the game plan quickly,’’ Joseph said. “I thought (entering the game at Tampa Bay), I was so impressed with Wednesday’s practice because the game plan was more into it, it was more complicated. They took to it quickly, and they got it right on the first day. … We have guys who are studying, who are doing things right. … It’s a smart group. It’s young in some areas. It has enough veterans to push us forward, and I’ve been proud to watch them play.”
Joseph was beaming after his defense had seven sacks of Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“It’s rush and coverage,’’ Joseph said. “I’ve always said that our rushers were underrated. … They’re a lot better than people think they are.”
Talk about being underrated. Tillman spent the past three spring seasons with the Birmingham Stallions before he finally got an NFL opportunity this year. He started the season on the practice squad, was signed to the active roster on Sept. 18 and then had two sacks at Tampa Bay in his first NFL regular-season game. He stepped in after outside linebacker Baron Browning went on injured reserve with a left foot injury.
“We haven’t seen that many sacks for a while because we haven’t been leading in games,’’ Harris said of the Broncos, who have missed the playoffs eight straight seasons and have had seven losing seasons in a row since winning Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. “But leading like they did against Tampa Bay (14-0 after the first quarter and 20-7 at halftime), guys can pin their ears back and rush the quarterback.”
That was a common occurrence when Harris was on the team that won the Super Bowl nine years ago when the Broncos had star pass rushers such as Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
Safety David Bruton also played on that title team. And he also is liking what he has seen this season out of the Broncos’ defense.
“They’re playing at a high level,’’ said Bruton, who played for Denver from 2009-15. “They’ve been super aggressive in the first three weeks. They’ve got a lot of new pieces and those pieces are fitting in well.”
Holdovers, though, also have played a big role. In addition to Surtain, Allen, Locke, D.J. Jones, Cooper and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, other key returnees have been cornerbacks Riley Moss and J’Quan McMillian.
Moss has been like a new player considering he only played 23 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2023 before moving this season into the starting lineup. McMillian is continuing to blossom after he emerged last year as Denver’s primarily slot cornerback.
Interestingly, McMillian, after having barely played to start last season, took over the spot in Week 4 after the Broncos had been demolished at Miami. It was then that they began to turn around their defense in 2023.
There was a stretch in which the Broncos won five straight games while forcing 16 turnovers to go from 1-5 to 6-5. The defense leveled off late in the season, when Denver fell out of playoff contention. But McMillian was very optimistic entering this year.
“I think it’s going on just like we thought it would,’’ McMillian said of the defense through three games. “We put in a lot of work during the offseason. We got a lot of new guys and we got a lot of young guys coming in and just making plays. (Joseph) is doing a good job of calling the plays and I just think we’re doing a good job of executing the plays he’s calling.”
So how hot could Joseph become this season? If the Broncos keep up what they’re doing on defense, he could get consideration to again become a head coach in the NFL.
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