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?
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.
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.