Vance Joseph will have a new home in the desert.
The Cardinals announced Friday that Joseph will serve as the team's new defensive coordinator. Joseph, who was fired at the end of the 2018 season by the Broncos after serving as their head coach for two years, brings veteran experience to a staff with a newly minted NFL coach at the helm in Kliff Kingsbury.
Joseph spent a season as the Dolphins defensive coordinator before landing in Denver. He was also a defensive backs coach for the Bengals (2014-15), Texans (2011-13) and 49ers (2006–10), where he originally got his NFL start as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2005.
In his time in Miami, the Dolphins made the playoffs with the help of a unit that was fourth in third-down defense and had 21 takeaways for the fourth-most in the league. However, once Joseph got to Denver, the Broncos failed to make the playoffs in either of his two seasons and finished with back-to-back losing records. Denver did rank third in the NFL though in total defense in his first year with the team.
Joseph's record as a head coach did not deter Kingsbury from bringing him on board.
"I've known Vance for a little while, and it was good to sit down with him and see where his head was at and tell him my vision," Kingsbury said. "His veteran presence, he was just a head coach, I can lean on him for certain aspects and pick his brain on ideas. Great leader, obviously a great defensive mind, and I really think our players are going to respond well to him on that side of the football."
"Great leader. Obviously a great defensive mind." - @KliffKingsbury on DC Vance Joseph. pic.twitter.com/djUtjVLU2l
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 11, 2019
Arizona also announced Jeff Rodgers will be returning as the team’s special teams coordinator and Bill Davis, who was the Cardinals defensive coordinator through the 2009-10 seasons, has been named linebackers coach.