Mile High Report
According to ESPN’s lead NFL insider, Adam Schefter, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to interview for the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans head coaching vacancies this week.
These will be virtual meetings for now, but the Broncos’ defensive coach has a busy week ahead while his team enjoys its one-seed bye week.
Both the Raiders and Cardinals fired their head coaches on Monday, while the Giants and Titans made their moves during the season. Joseph figures to be a strong candidate for all four of these jobs, and if he interviews well, he could be a finalist for at least one of these jobs.
He was previously the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals between his stints with the Broncos, and he interviewed for the Raiders job last season. The Giants opening would make sense for him due to their pass rush talent on defense, and I would imagine a pairing with Davis Webb would intrigue the Giants decision makers. Meanwhile, the Titans have 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward and another early-round draft pick this year, and could be an intriguing landing spot for Joseph.
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.
