Elway: Broncos will 'stay the course,' keep Vance Joseph

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has seen enough in his team's first nine games to give him hope for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Elway said he doesn't see the firing of head coach Vance Joseph as a necessity in the near future.

"At this point, we’re going to stay the course,” Elway said during a local radio appearance, according to Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post. "I’m much more encouraged this year than last year because guys are still playing hard and (we) are in the games."

The Broncos are 3-6 and third in the AFC West heading into their Week 10 bye. Three of their six losses have been by four points or less.

"The frustrating part for everybody … we haven’t made the plays we need to get over the hump," Elway said. "Every game in this league is always competitive and the teams that win are teams that are able to do it consistently. We have not been able to do it.

"I like the heartbeat of this team, the fact they’re competitors and they continue to work hard."

The Broncos have gone 8-17 since Joseph was hired as a first-time head coach in January 2017.

The team has now found some stability at the quarterback position after signing Case Keenum this past offseason. They had three different QBs start at least two games last year; Denver finished the 2017 campaign ranked 27th in the NFL with 18.1 points per game.