Beyond the Blitz: Unpacking the Broncos' Hybrid Defensive Evolution Under Vance Joseph in 2024

From Fangio principles to aggressive man coverage, discover how Vance Joseph strategically evolved the Denver Broncos' defense to lead the league in sacks and DVOA efficiency.

Though the Eagles’ defense finished atop FTN’s DVOA ranks (efficiency metric) en route to a Super Bowl victory, the Broncos could claim the award for most consistently ‘great’ defense in 2024.

Denver, along with the Vikings and Buccaneers, also blitzed at a tremendous rate, setting it apart from Minnesota, which faded down the season’s stretch. Still, the Broncos’ defense was unique in its own right, and is illustrated in how Vance Joseph has evolved his playbook to fit his roster and the schematic needs within the division.

Philadelphia’s defense didn’t get ‘good’ until Nickel Cooper DeJean entered the lineup as a full-time starter in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. DeJean gave Fangio a bona fide future star at the critical Slot position and stabilized the defense as a whole. The Eagles would only finish .002 points higher in EPA than the Broncos to finish the regular season.

Minnesota’s defense is similar to the German blitzkrieg of World War II and has proven so for two seasons. Early in the season, the Vikings’ blitz-centric style catches lesser opponents and quarterbacks off guard.

As high blitz rates persist, they become less novel, and teams with better players (and those seeing it for a second time) diminish the novelty of the highly aggressive system. Typically, Flores is forced into playing a more traditional style later in the season.

Of the four best defenses from 2024, the Texans were probably the closest to the Eagles in terms of production. Philadelphia finished second against the pass and run in FTN’s DVOA.

Houston finished third in both categories. The Texans’ defense was consistently undermined by offenses that were inept at times throughout the year, making their EPA chart more like a roller coaster than a straight line.

Most defenses have some regression throughout the year. Football is a game of attrition, and throughout a 17-game season, it is hard to stay elite, especially on defense. Denver did that in 2024. The Broncos' success last season stemmed from one of the worst defensive performances in modern football.

Following Denver’s 2023 loss to the Dolphins, which saw them give up 70 points, Joseph needed to make a change. Sean Payton wanted Joseph to absorb many of the Fangio principles that had been a mainstay in the organization since the current Eagles defensive coordinator took over in 2019.

For many of the players, it was the only scheme they had played under. Even after Fangio’s departure in 2021, Evero Ejiro, the current Panthers defensive coordinator, had a top-10 defense running an ‘adjacent’ scheme (Staley/Morris tree) during that disastrous 2022 season. It made sense for Payton to want Joseph to adjust, but in reality, the Fangio system and Joseph’s attacking style don’t mesh.

Via rbsdm.com

Following the 70-point drubbing, Joseph peeled back the layers and pivoted to a more straightforward, more attacking style of play. Heading into ‘24, DE Zach Allen, who finished as a second-team All-Pro this past season, highlighted the shift:

“We play now an attack style Simple. Only a few calls. And that's all you can ask for— especially as a guy upfront. My successful years in Arizona with 'VJ,' that's kind of how we played, and that's the way I think football is meant to be played…”

One of the primary ways a defensive coordinator can simplify a defense's approach is by playing man coverage. The shift away from zone in 2023 to man coverage also leaned into the talent on the Broncos’ roster. Pat Surtain II is an All-Pro and widely considered to be one of the top cornerbacks in the league. The AP selected him as the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

Along with Surtain, the Broncos' other outside CB, Riley Moss, has quickly developed into a servicable ‘field’ corner, allowing Surtain to follow a top receiver, or lock down the field opposite the passing strength. During the past two seasons, Nickel Ja’Quan McMillian has also excelled at man coverage for the Broncos.

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Denver finished the year #1 in EPA/dropback (.129), second in PFF’s Pass Rush Production metric, and led the league in sacks with 61. The Boncos had the fifth-lowest zone percentage in the league. In 2024, Joseph paired an aggressive front with man coverage to limit opponents’ offenses.