Vance Joseph is the Broncos' new head coach, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

It's official.



Excited to announce Vance Joseph as head coach of the Denver Broncos! pic.twitter.com/m87uUn9KXs — John Elway (@johnelway) January 11, 2017

"Becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos is a dream job for many reasons," Joseph said in a press release, via 5280 Sports Network. "The Broncos have an unbelievable winning tradition and great fan support. But what makes this even more special is it's a place that's ready to win. This is not a rebuilding situation -- it's a reboot. There is a culture of winning here, and the standards around here won't change -- Those are to win championships.

"I am very thankful to John Elway and Joe Ellis for this opportunity. It's incredibly humbling to be part of an organization like the Broncos with so much history and success, especially when you see all the great things this franchise has accomplished under Mr. Bowlen. I can't wait to get to work with our players and become part of this community."

Adam Gase, who was the head coach in Miami this season, had this to say about Joseph:

"He brings a leadership quality that you really love about him," Gase said. "He has such a great personality and such a strong personality -- that alpha-type personality where he demands a lot from players and they give him everything he has."

Jason La Canfora reported earlier in the week that Joseph was the front-runner for the job heading into the interview process. Joesph, who served as the Dolphins' defensive coordinator during the 2016 season, replaces Gary Kubiak, who retired a year after leading Denver to a title in Super Bowl 50.

After a four-hour interview with the team Tuesday, Joseph received a call from Broncos officials to resume the interview Wednesday. Joseph also had interviews scheduled with the Chargers and 49ers.

Mike Klis of 9 News reported early Wednesday that Joseph was scheduled to fly out to San Diego to meet with the Chargers, but those plans obviously changed when talks escalated with the Broncos. Denver also interviewed Chiefs defensive coordinator Dave Toub and Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan for the vacant position.

Vance Joseph is Broncos head coach No. 16. pic.twitter.com/ehj5esGhnS — Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 11, 2017

Joseph had been the hottest coaching candidate in the weeks since the regular season ended. In fact, of the six coaching openings, only the Jaguars didn't reach out last week to request an interview with Joseph. The Jags since hired interim coach Doug Marrone to replace Gus Bradley full-time.

Klis writes that Joe Wood is the leading candidate to be the Broncos' new defensive coordinator, though Wade Phillips says he likes his chances of returning to the Broncos. If Phillips isn't retained, he won't be out of work long; he's one of the league's best coordinators.

On the other side of the ball, Klis adds that Mike McCoy and Bill Musgrave could be in the mix for offensive coordinator. There are also reports that should Sean McDermott get the Bills job, he could ask McCoy to join him there. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos have already set up interviews with McCoy and Musgrave, scheduled for Thursday.