Matt Patricia doesn't land Broncos job, as Vance Joseph now set to become defensive coordinator

BOSTON -- On Wednesday, Matt Patricia interviewed with the Broncos for their vacant defensive coordinator position. It didn't take long for him to find out that he didn't get the job.

On Thursday, Peter Schrager reported that the Broncos are set to hire Vance Joseph for the DC position in Denver.

Joseph was the head coach of the Broncos for two seasons, in 2017 and 2018, when he compiled an 11-21 record. He's been the Cardinals' defensive coordinator for the past four years, and he was in charge of the 31st-ranked scoring defense last season in Arizona.

Nevertheless, new head coach Sean Payton saw Joseph as the best pick in a candidate pool that included Patricia and Rex Ryan.

Patricia, of course, ran New England's offense last year, in what was arguably the most baffling decision of Bill Belichick's entire head coaching career. Patricia had previously been Detroit's head coach, a job he landed after serving as the Patriots' defensive coordinator for a half-dozen years. 

While Patricia's inability to coach offense significantly hindered the Patriots last year, his most recent work with defense wasn't particularly strong either. In his final season in Detroit, the Lions ranked dead last in both yards and points allowed, one year after ranking 31st in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed.

Rex Ryan, meanwhile, has been a TV analyst since his last NFL coaching job in 2016. 

The interviews of both Ryan and Patricia were considered a bit surprising, so the selection of Joseph is far from a shocking conclusion.

As for Patricia, his plans and employment for 2023 remain a mystery. For now, the door in Denver appears to be closed.