Broncos Hire Wade Phillips As Defensive Coordinator

The Denver Broncos have hired Wade Phillips as their new defensive coordinator, according to John McClain.

• Phillips tells Ian Rapoport that he’s “excited” about the opportunity to join the Broncos.

The Broncos No. 1 choice for their defensive coordinator vacancy was reportedly Bengals DBs coach Vance Joseph. However, Rapoport reports that the Bengals wouldn’t let him out of his contract, and the Wednesday was seen as the deadline for them to do so.

Phillips, 67, is a pretty good contingency option for Denver, seeing he has a solid track record as a defensive coordinator and spent a few years with Gary Kubiak while the two of them were in Houston.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post mentioned earlier in the day that Denver is likely to transition to the 3-4 defense next season.

The Broncos already have two premier pass rushers in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, to go along with a solid cornerback tandem of Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, which will really help them make what can be a difficult transition for teams to make.