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New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
Denver Broncos' Vance Joseph raising bar for top-ranked defense: ‘Let's start over again'
When the dust settled on Vance Joseph's second season as the defensive coordinator in Denver, the Broncos had set a record with 63 sacks. They finished first in defensive efficiency, according to TruMedia's expected points added metric. They boasted the NFL's defensive player of the year in cornerback Pat Surtain II and two other All-Pro selections in outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive end Zach Allen. Advertisement However, the victory lap for Joseph and the Broncos' braintrust was brief — if it existed at all. A 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs shoved the Broncos back to the drawing board. 'We watched every clip from last year, and once you watch it all, you get a clear idea of how teams attacked you,' Joseph said Wednesday during his lone meeting with the media before training camp. 'It was obvious. I won't share that, but it was obvious how teams attacked us. You have to go to work to try to prevent some of that stuff. That's what you do in the offseason, and that's every year. You have to change and adjust.' Another day of minicamp in the 📚 — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 11, 2025 What followed was an offseason of major additions for an already talented defense. The Broncos signed a pair of former San Francisco 49ers standouts in safety Talanoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw. They then used their first-round pick on versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron, who was coached by Joseph's cousin, Terry Joseph, for three seasons at Texas. The additions provided a window into how the Broncos viewed their shortcomings last season defensively. Despite Surtain's lockdown brilliance, the Broncos had too many breakdowns in the secondary, particularly during late-season losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. They struggled at times to cover running backs. Denver opponents produced a 122.1 passer rating when targeting the position last season. Only the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans yielded a higher opponent rating. Hufanga and Greenlaw — physical, experienced players brought in to fortify the spine of the defense — are expected to help with those issues. But the addition of those players goes beyond the schematic adjustments the Broncos are trying to make. Joseph noted that Denver still has a relatively young defense. The playoff game in Buffalo was the first taste of the postseason for the bulk of Denver's defensive starters, and it showed. Hufanga and Greenlaw, meanwhile, have played in 17 combined playoff games. Greenlaw has played in two Super Bowls. Advertisement 'Both guys bring experience of being in big games and being on dominant defenses,' Joseph said. 'That's an attitude in practice and in meetings every day. You see it with those guys. Those guys love football. To add them to our mix has been tremendous. We're looking forward to the fall.' Greenlaw has not participated in the on-field portion of Denver's offseason program, which concludes Thursday with the final practice of mandatory minicamp. He suffered a quad injury while training on his own before the NFL Draft and is expected to be cleared for team activity by the time training camp begins. In the meantime, Greenlaw has been a constant presence on the sidelines at practices and in meetings. Hufanga, who intercepted Broncos quarterback Bo Nix at the end of last week's OTA practice attended by the media, has been part of a new soundtrack for Denver's defense. He has provided a vocal presence in the back end of the defense that has already been apparent. 'You are going to see how special they are,' said nose tackle D.J. Jones, who played with both players in San Francisco before signing with the Broncos in 2022. 'You're going to see why they brought them here.' First look at @TalanoaHufanga 👀 — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 29, 2025 The additions of Greenlaw, Hufanga and Barron, whom Joseph called a 'can't-miss prospect for us,' have helped create massive expectations for a defense that was one of the league's best last season. There is a certain microscope on a unit that is suddenly loaded with top-level talent. But head coach Sean Payton provided a reminder about the calendar on Tuesday. The Broncos, he said, 'have a chance to be a real good defense,' but this is a different group that is still in the building stages. Joseph has conveyed the same message. Advertisement 'We had a great defense. That was last year,' Joseph said. 'This year is totally different. My entire sell this entire offseason has been, 'Let's start over again. Let's keep improving.' Last year counts, but it doesn't matter moving forward. We have to continue to improve.' Here are some other takeaways from sessions with the Broncos coordinators and their newest player, running back JK Dobbins: Payton answered questions about Dobbins after a third straight practice. The running back officially signed a one-year deal with the Broncos after initially visiting the team's headquarters last week. On Wednesday, it was time to hear from the man himself about his decision to join the Broncos nearly four months after his free-agent process began. 'It felt amazing,' Dobbins said about his first day as a member of the Broncos, which mostly included work on a side field as he got acclimated to his new surroundings. 'It's a true blessing to me. I'm so happy to be here. We're going to do some great things this year.' Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns during his lone season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, a breakout that came after he missed all but nine games across the previous three seasons due to multiple significant injuries. The Chargers placed a seldom-used unrestricted free agent tender on Dobbins in April, which would have given them exclusive negotiating rights with Dobbins had he not joined a team by the start of training camp. That made for a unique free agency as Dobbins weighed his options before and after the draft, one Dobbins called 'stressful' at times. With a smile plastered to his face following his first Broncos practice, it was clear Dobbins was glad to have the process behind him. 'I'm a pretty patient person, and I was just feeling it out,' he said. '(I was) letting everything play out how it's supposed to be. It was a little stressful with some things that happened in there, but I knew I was going to get to where I needed to be. I am where I need to be.' JK Dobbins: 'It's a true blessing. I'm so glad to be here. We're going to do some great things this year.' — Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) June 11, 2025 Payton has made it clear there is not yet a defined pecking order in Denver's backfield, which also includes rookie second-round pick RJ Harvey and returning players Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé and Tyler Badie. 'Don't try to figure out the club right now,' Payton said. 'It's way too early.' But Dobbins, who has been in the NFL since joining the Baltimore Ravens as a second-round pick in 2020, brings an experienced veteran presence the Broncos didn't have in the room. That was an important part of the equation for Denver as it works to find the right mix at a position that must be more productive in 2025. Advertisement 'That is a guy who's had a lot of success in his career,' offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. 'It's someone we've always had a lot of respect for. It adds talent and competition to that room. Obviously, he's been a very productive runner and he's a good pass protector. I think it will help the competition in that room and help the team.' Darren Rizzi hoped to be named the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints after serving as the team's interim coach for the second half of the 2024 season. The job went instead to Kellen Moore, leaving Rizzi in search of the next opportunity. Not that there was a lot of suspense about where the veteran coach would end up. With Payton having an opening for a special teams coordinator after firing Ben Kotwica, a reunion with Rizzi, who previously served the same role for Payton in New Orleans, was not a challenging dot to connect. 'I just think it was an easy match,' Rizzi said Wednesday. 'Obviously, having worked for Sean for three years and having been under him and learned, we're on the same page with a lot of things. He mentioned the word compatibility. I would say the three years I was with Sean, it was definitely that. Even when, obviously, he left the Saints, he still had a big stamp on that organization, so we continued to do a lot of the same things that he did when he was there. Just familiar with the coach, familiar with the person. We always got along great off the field as well, so for me it was an easy choice.' Rizzi has already had a noticeable imprint on the Broncos. Denver signed two potential special teams stalwarts during free agency in wide receiver Trent Sherfield Jr. and safety Sam Franklin. The Broncos used their fourth-round pick on Que Robinson, an outside linebacker who was a prolific special teams player at Alabama. They were also the only team to draft a punter, using their sixth-round selection on Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw, who has already made a strong impression on his new coach. 'Here's a guy that came from Australia, went to an SEC school, a top-level college program, had a ton of success,' Rizzi said. 'His maturity level, he's kind of beyond his years. When we were kind of evaluating all the punters in this draft, his name came up. I really feel like his intangibles, his off-the-field stuff, was A-plus. Now, his talent level is tremendous as well. I really believe that at that position, at a specialist position, your demeanor might be just as important as your ability because it's a one-play-and-done (job). You have to have the mentality of kind of a batter in baseball, if you will, or a golfer. You have to go on to the next swing. I really like his level-headedness.'
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN analyst has questions about former Oklahoma QBs heading into 2025
ESPN analyst has questions about former Oklahoma QBs heading into 2025 The Oklahoma Sooners could see up to six former quarterbacks who suited up in crimson and cream start games in the NFL in the 2025 season. That's an almost unheard of statistic, one that illustrates how good OU has been at football's most valuable position over the last decade (and well, well before that). Although only three of the six finished their careers in Norman, there's no doubt who the title of "QBU" belongs to. Heading into the 2025 season, every team in the league has some kind of question at the quarterback position. ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano attempted to identify the biggest question for each of the 32 QB situations ahead of the fall. We'll just be focusing on the three players who were officially drafted from Oklahoma. That's because Browns QB Dillon Gabriel was drafted from Oregon, Bears QB Caleb Williams was drafted from USC, and Saints QB Spencer Rattler was drafted from South Carolina. Up first is Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. He's coming off of leading Philly to a Super Bowl LIX victory and a Super Bowl MVP award. He bounced back nicely after a down year in 2023 that followed a deep playoff run in 2022. Heading into Year 6, Hurts has yet another new play-caller on the offensive side of the ball. How will the Eagles' annual coordinator change affect Jalen Hurts this time? The 2022 Eagles reached the Super Bowl with Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator, but then Steichen got hired to coach the Colts, and Hurts and the Philly offense regressed badly in 2023 under Brian Johnson. The Eagles brought in Kellen Moore last season, built one of the all-time great run games and won the Super Bowl as a result. But now Moore is coach of the Saints, and Kevin Patullo has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Underestimating Hurts is clearly a foolish endeavor at this point, but he and the team are surely hoping things go better than they did the last time they promoted from within to fill the coordinator spot. - Graziano, ESPN. Hurts has earned his place as one of the league's premier players, and his team still has plenty of pieces in place to make a run at back-to-back titles. Up next is Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. He was fully healthy last year after tearing his ACL late in the 2022 season and missing the bulk of 2023. The Cardinals are still rebuilding their roster in the post-Kliff Kingsbury era, but one of their most talented offensive players needs more touches in 2025. Murray heads into Year 7 looking make the postseason for the first time since 2021. Can the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection deliver on its first-round promise in Year 2? Harrison's rookie season was fine -- 62 catches, 885 yards and eight touchdowns. But as the fourth pick of the 2024 draft and given his college performance, he was supposed to take the NFL by storm right out of the gate. Instead, he was the No. 2 option in the Cardinals' passing game behind tight end Trey McBride. More is expected in Harrison's second season, and the same can be said of Murray in his seventh. Arizona made almost no changes on offense this offseason after finishing ninth in offensive EPA in 2024. The Cardinals beefed up on defense, hoping that will be enough to make them contenders. But Murray and the offense have to take a step forward if that's to happen, and a breakout for Harrison will help. - Graziano, ESPN. Murray was at his best with a No. 1 target in DeAndre Hopkins earlier in his career. If Harrison can become that in Arizona this season, the team could make a big jump toward a playoff spot in the NFC West. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield is looking to make it three straight division crowns and playoff appearances in his new home. Mayfield is already entering his eighth NFL season, but he's coming off of his two best years in the pros. He'll also have a new OC in Josh Grizzard, after Liam Coen left to coach the Jaguars. But Graziano wonders is Mayfield is underpaid in Tampa. Is Baker Mayfield underpaid? The three-year contract that Mayfield signed with the Bucs last offseason pays him $33.3 million per year. He has $30 million coming this season and $40 million in 2026, though none of the 2026 money is guaranteed. The deal is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but consider that the top of the QB market right now is $55 to $60 million per year. Consider also that no quarterback in the NFL has thrown more touchdown passes over the past two regular seasons than Mayfield (69). If Mayfield has another big season -- with a third different offensive coordinator in three years -- he could be in line for an even bigger contract extension next offseason. - Graziano, ESPN Mayfield has found his NFL home with the Bucs, and he has plenty of firepower around him on offense heading into 2025. If he can elevate his team again this year, a new contract may be in order. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Khalil Mack: Staying with Chargers was less about finances than about winning games
Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack says looking for the most lucrative contract offer wasn't his top priority as free agency approached in March. Mack, who stayed with the Chargers on a one-year, $18 million deal, said he thinks there's more he can accomplish with the Chargers and wants to be part of what they're building. 'I had to be fair in the approach to things and not making it about just finances and all the different things,' Mack said, via ESPN. 'I tried to make it more so just about winning ball games.' The Chargers went 11-6 last season in Jim Harbaugh's first year as head coach, and that has Mack thinking about a bright future in Los Angeles. 'Just not wanting to give up on that goal and that ambition that I have ever since I stepped into the league,' Mack said. 'I knew I wanted to play in important games and win a Super Bowl.' For all that he has accomplished in his NFL career, Mack has never experienced winning a playoff game. That's something he thinks he can do with the Chargers, and is one of the reasons he's back for another year.
