After the Broncos took significant steps forward defensively last season, the Jets and Raiders interviewed Vance Joseph for their respective head coaching posts. Denver’s third-year defensive coordinator should expect more interview slips in 2026.
The Broncos’ defense helped buy their offense time to mount a comeback Sunday in Philadelphia, and the team pulled off a 21-17 upset win. Joseph helmed Patrick Surtain to a Defensive Player of the Year showing last season, and recently extended edge rusher Nik Bonitto has an NFL-most seven sacks through five games. Joseph’s name is coming up again regarding head coaching interest, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.
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Although Joseph interviewed for both the New York and Las Vegas gigs, he did not appear near the lead for either job. Joseph has been back on the DC level for the past seven seasons, having moved from his Broncos HC stint (2017-18) to Cardinals DC and a return to Denver as the AFC West club’s defensive boss. Sporadic success has come for Joseph, who has one of the league’s better units to work with early in Year 3 back in Colorado.
The rare coach who agreed to return as a coordinator for a team he once led as head coach, Joseph gone through a few HC interviews since his January 2019 Broncos ouster. He met about the Dolphins’ job in 2022, and the Cardinals interviewed him about succeeding ex-boss Kliff Kingsbury in 2023. Hired over Kyle Shanahan in 2017, Joseph went 11-21 as Broncos HC. That stint has hurt his chances of seeing a second opportunity.
To be fair, the Broncos did not outfit Joseph with much at quarterback during those seasons. As Paxton Lynch became one of this era’s biggest busts, Joseph had Trevor Siemian as his primary starter in 2017. The Broncos then gave Case Keenum by far his most lucrative contract (two years, $36MM) in 2018 but moved on from the journeyman after one season. Joseph’s second Broncos team also stood 6-6 before injuries to Pro Bowlers Chris Harris and Emmanuel Sanders helped key a four-game skid to close that season, leading to the team’s Vic Fangio hire. Keenum and Siemian moved toward the backup tier fairly soon after their Broncos tenures.
Fangio appeared to be higher on Sean Payton‘s DC wish list in 2023, but the current Eagles DC indicated it was too soon for him to return to Denver (the team had fired him in January 2022). Joseph, 53, saw his best two Cardinals defenses finish just outside the top 10 in scoring. The Broncos ranked third last season and sit second entering their Week 6 London matchup with the Jets. This momentum continuing should generate momentum for Joseph, as he is now seven years removed from his first HC opportunity.
Failing upwards.
Why?
It’s called the Rooney rule, and Marvin Lewis is unavailable for an interview.
He’s been one of the best defensive coordinators in football the last couple of years and you have to make it about race that he gets considered for a head coach job?
Did you see his defense against the Dolphins 2 seasons ago?
Stack the box against the Eagles and people think he’s some genius. In reality, Phillies OC is an inexperienced moron that things you have to take what you’re given in all situations.
I really don’t think Vance is an elite coach. He’s not bad either. Broncos D is loaded with talent. Not sure people understand yet just how good Nik Bonitto is. How many other defenses have a top 3 corner and a top 3 edge rusher? Without elite rushers and secondary, his defenses look very average.
As a Broncos fan, I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed if he left. He couldn’t stop Daniel Jones and the Colts earlier this year. They’re good, but not scoring 30+ on this defense good.
I disagree. The Broncos be disappointed if he left. Since that Dolphins game, Joseph’s defenses have been the best or some of the best in football. He adjusted well, and certainly is the leader of the defense.
Without elite rushers or elite secondaries … all defenses are average / non-elite if they don’t have an elite player at either of those position groups.
But some defenses are still average with elite players in those position groups. The NFL is difficult to succeed in. Good coaches make that talent work.
Joseph shouldn’t go back to being a HC. But he’s a heck of a DC.
Ooof- Not about race. But it’s ridiculous you have to interview a minority even if you have no interest in them. I didn’t want to get hired for a job because I was the best Native American for the job. I wanted to be hired because I was the best man for the job period. If I didn’t get it I didn’t whine about it or cry racism. It’s called pride. So many today try to hide their inadequacy by crying bigotry. My grandfather told me to be proud of my heritage, but don’t use it as an excuse to not succeed.
What does any of that have to do with this story? Vance Joseph has done a very good job as a coordinator and now will reportedly get some consideration for head coach jobs.
It’s like QB’s, they recycle the same names every year. I know Joseph stunk the place up, but we’re the ___________ (insert name here) and we’re different. A head coach needs to know his weaknesses and recruit other coaches who are strong where they are weaker. But I think so many are intimidated by coaches who may have a little bit more knowledge in some areas than they do, or may pick people they think they owe something to. I really hope he does get a second chance and has learned something in the 7 years since Denver. Cincinnati could do worse after they fire Taylor. They’ve got the offense covered but they could use a defensive guru.
Before people judge Joseph’s candidacy entirely by his first run as head coach, consider the quarterbacks he had to work with. No one was winning anything with Trevor Siemian or Case Keenum.
People are also bringing up his times as defensive coordinator too.
… a job he’s been very good at.
Fangio is one the the best DCs in the game, but that didn’t make him a good HC.
I actually thought that Fangio got less than he deserved. Those Bronco offenses were pretty pitiful in those days. The worst thing that he personally did was hold on to Pat Shurmur when he obviously was doing a poor job. That much was on him.
He must be really likable and trusted. You almost never see someone fired as the top and still stay in the organization. He took a demotion so the players still wanted him around and so did higher ups. He has no ego to do that.
He didn’t take a demotion and stay with Denver. He was fired as HC, went elsewhere, and came back as DC with a different staff / under a different front office.
The NFL is always looking for a way to fleece fans for a buck so it’s a bit strange that they aren’t trying to cash in financially on GM and HC interviews. I think a lot of fans would actually be interested in getting a peak at the process.