It has been speculated about for some time. Now, it’s official. Joe Woods is the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos announced the hiring of Woods on Tuesday, elevating him from defensive backs coach, a position he held in the Mile High City for the past two seasons.
In Denver, Woods guided the vaunted “No Fly Zone” secondary. In each of the last two seasons, the Broncos have boasted the best pass defense in the NFL. Both Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. were named first-team All-Pros following the 2016 season, marking the first time that two cornerbacks from the same team received that distinction in the same year.
Interestingly enough, it was actually newly-minted head coach Vance Joseph that recommended Woods to his predecessor, Gary Kubiak.
“When I came here, one of my very close friends in this business—[Joseph]—told me, ‘You go get this guy.’ I didn’t know Joe,” Kubiak told DenverBroncos.com last month. “Boy, was he right. He’s been special.”
Prior to joining the Broncos staff, Woods coached the secondary under former Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen with the Oakland Raiders. He also spent eight seasons as a defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings and two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
