Report: Broncos will interview Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph soon

According to NFL Insider Rand Getlin, the Denver Broncos and the San Fransisco 49ers are set to meet with Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph soon for their Head Coaching jobs.

I'm told #Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is set to meet with the #Broncos and #49ers about their head-coaching vacancies.

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) January 3, 2017

The Broncos will not be able to interview Joseph until the Dolphins postseason is over. They play the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend in the AFC Wildcard round of the postseason.

Joseph has reportedly been a favorite of the Broncos for a few years now. After they hired now former Head Coach Gary Kubiak, they tried hiring the then Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Backs coach to be their Defensive Coordinator. However, the Bengals blocked the Broncos from hiring him. The Broncos eventually settled for Wade Phillips and well, the rest is history as they say.

Now to make things even more interesting, If Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway was unable to convince then Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak to accept the Head Coaching offer, the Broncos were prepared to offer Joseph the job according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Had the #Broncos not brought in Gary Kubiak 2 years ago, they likely would’ve hired now-#Dolphins DC Vance Joseph. Keep an eye on him in DEN

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2017

Former Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator, and now Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase had some nice things to say about his Defensive Coordinator when asked about Joseph's chances of being a Head Coach.

"He’s put those guys the right positions. From where we’ve started and how we’ve grown through the year, guys being in and out, losing some key players, he’s done a good job. It’s a great experience to be able to go through," continued Gase, a former offensive coodrinator before being hired as Dolphins coach. "You have an opportunity to do something that is one of 32 jobs. These are going to be great opportunities for Joseph."

Dolphins safety Michael Thomas praised Joseph for helping him grow and improve as a player this season because of his knowledge and coaching.

"We hold each other accountable, and have that mindset of doing your job, and doing it right every single time because of him. I commend him because I've learned so much, and grown so much this year. I'm not just a young guy out there flying around trying to make a play. I have a job to do and I need to do my job right every single time. His name is hot, and he earned that."

Looking at stats alone, the Dolphins defense doesn't look all that great under Joseph. They're ranked 29th in total yards and 18th in total points allowed but have had lengthy injuries to a bunch of key starters on defense this year. The Dolphins defense has had to overcome injuries to starters Reshad Jones, Koa Misi, Jelani Jenkins, Earl Mitchell and Isa Abdul-Quddus this season. So the struggles had to be expected in this case.

If hired by the Denver Broncos, Joseph would likely keep Wade Phillips as the Broncos Defensive Coordinator. He worked under Wade in Houston from 2011 to 2013, so that's a major plus for Joseph. Plus not having to worry about the Defensive side of the ball would allow him to focus on the duties that come with being a Head Coach.

The key for Joseph would be hiring a strong and talented Offensive Coordinator to help fix the offense. I'm not sure who his Offensive Coordinator would be, but with Joseph being a Defensive minded coach, it would need to be someone with a solid track record already I would assume.

General Manager John Elway said on Monday that the priority this offseason was upgrading the offense while also continuing to be solid on the defensive side of the ball.

"Offensively, again I need to go back and I’ll say that the priority is offense, the priority is offense, but the priority is to continue to be great at defense. The number one priority is to stay there. That’s to not take a step back defensively and then continue to work on the offense. We’ll go through free agency and see what’s available and then as the draft takes shape we’ll see where the strengths are there, too. As we have every year, we’re going to look at every opportunity that we feel like we have a chance to get better and it fits into what we’re doing."

Hiring Joseph and a strong offensive mind(whoever that might be) could be exactly what John Elway is looking for. Someone who can keep the Broncos strength(the defense) good but also improve on offense as well.