While the Broncos were enjoying their first-round bye last week, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and several other coaches were interviewing for jobs around the NFL. Now, a week later, things are starting
to come into focus, and we are getting an idea of which coaches are favorites for certain jobs around the league.
o be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.Joseph interviewed for the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens jobs and was linked loosely to the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins jobs. While it appears most of these teams are heading in a different direction, Joseph has become the odds-on favorite for the Cardinals’ head coaching job.
It should be noted that these things can and will change, and nothing is set in stone, but it is noteworthy and interesting nonetheless.
It would be ironic if Joseph were hired by the Cardinals. With the Broncos, he went from being their head coach to their defensive coordinator, and with the Cardinals, he would go from being their defensive coordinator to head coach.
Of the teams Joseph interviewed with, the Cardinals seem like one of the most likely jobs for him. The Giants are in the Harbaugh sweepstakes, the Titans have been mostly linked to offensive coaches, the Ravens will have multiple suitors, and he hasn’t yet interviewed with the Falcons, Browns, Dolphins, or Steelers. That can always change, especially if the Broncos are unfortunately eliminated this weekend, but for now, he hasn’t met with those teams.
The other team I would keep an eye on is the Las Vegas Raiders. Like the Cardinals, they likely won’t attract the top head coaching options and have now interviewed Joseph two offseasons in a row. They also brought in Broncos pass game coordinator/QB coach Davis Webb in for an interview, and could be interested in a Joseph/Webb pairing, but we’ll have to see how that plays out.
Vance Joseph was the Denver Broncos head coach from 2017 through the 2018 season, and things did not go great for him. The team at the time did not have stable ownership at all, was on the tail end of John Elway’s GM tenure, and they were still searching and failing to find a quarterback. Vance had his issues, too, but in retrospect, he was dealt a tough hand by the Broncos. After he was fired by the Broncos, he would go on to be the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019 through 2022. He was solid at best during his time there, but did not do anything to get himself back into the head coaching conversation. However, that all changed in 2023 when he had an opportunity to rejoin the Broncos and be Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator.
Vance’s second stint with the Broncos did not start great and was infamously part of the 70-point game vs. the Miami Dolphins. Many, myself included, called for him to be fired after just a handful of games. Thankfully, Payton and the Broncos did not do that, and from that point on, Vance Joseph turned this Broncos defense into one of the best units in the entire NFL.
His defense has led the NFL in sacks in back-to-back seasons, and this year, his defense ranked 2nd in total yards, 7th in pass yards, 2nd in rush yards allowed, 3rd in points allowed, and led the NFL in sacks with 68. On top of that, Vance’s defense had the 2nd-best third-down defense and the 2nd-best red-zone defense. His defense is a big reason why the Broncos are 14-3, the one seed in the AFC, and AFC West Champs, and has earned him another shot at being a head coach.
