New Vance Joseph Rumor Would Be Bad News for Broncos

The Denver Broncos hopefully have a plan in place in the event that Vance Joseph gets a second opportunity to be an NFL head coach.

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph calls out in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have a few glaring issues as a team, but none of them are on defense. As Sean Payton's offense continues to be stuck in neutral, Vance Joseph's defense ranks in the top six in each of the major statistical categories, with the exception of takeaways, including first in sacks, net yards per play, third-down, and red-zone efficiency.

Remember, Joseph led the Broncos to a league-high 63 sacks in 2024. Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was named the A.P. Defensive Player of the Year, while rush linebacker Nik Bonitto earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Defensive end Zach Allen also was a second-team All-Pro.

Entering Week 7 of the 2025 campaign, Joseph has acquitted himself well, proving that Denver's defensive leaps forward were no flash in the pan. As the former head coach of the Broncos from 2017-18, he only managed to win 11 games, but he dealt with the worst situation for any defensive-minded coach to manage: he didn't have a franchise quarterback.

Fast forward to today, and according to one insider, Joseph is on a short list of candidates to fill head-coaching vacancies when the hiring cycle begins again in January. The Athletic's Dianna Russini listed Joseph among seven such candidates for the 2026 head-coaching carousel.

Here's a look at Russini's list.

• Chargers DC Jesse Minter
• Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile
• Rams DC Chris Shula
• Vikings DC Brian Flores
• Broncos DC Vance Joseph
• Packers DC Jeff Hafley
• Bills OC Joe Brady
• 49ers DC Robert Saleh

The Tennessee Titans have already fired their head coach Brian Callahan, and Russini linked four names to the vacancy. But if Joseph is a bona fide candidate this coming offseason, you'd think he'd at least be considered by the Titans.

Russini's Titans list:

• Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy
• Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo
• Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver
• Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith

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Joseph's Head-Coaching Outlook

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on the sidelines in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Broncos still have 11 games to be played this season, which means Joseph has a lot of road left to either bolster and improve his standing as a candidate, or erode it. Based on what we've seen thus far, though, it's hard to see the Broncos' defense suddenly backsliding.

That's especially true with the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, whom the team signed to a lucrative three-year deal last March. A quad injury has prevented him from making his Broncos debut, but that all changes on Sunday vs. the New York Giants, as Greenlaw was officially activated off injured reserve on Saturday.

Joseph has certainly benefited from a great collection of personnel on defense, but guys like the aforementioned Surtain, Bonitto, and Allen turned in the best seasons of their respective careers on his watch. That's a credit to his coaching.

Joseph was hired by Sean Payton as defensive coordinator in January of 2023. That year's defense under Joseph was streaky, but it had tremendous success taking the ball away, which gave the Broncos a fighting chance down the stretch. Denver would ultimately squander it, but the defense did a lot of heavy lifting.

That was true in 2024, too, though to a lesser extent. As a rookie Bo Nix went through his initial trial-and-error learning curve, Joseph's defense kept the Broncos competitive.

Internal Replacement Waiting in the Wings

If he stays on this trajectory, Joseph will warrant a second opportunity to be a head coach. If it happens for him again, he can only hope that he has a better quarterback situation than the collective of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, and Case Keenum was able to offer him.

Losing Joseph would sting, but the Broncos have one internal option waiting in the wings in secondary coach Jim Leonhard. Following the 2024 season, Leonhard was promoted to defensive pass game coordinator, on top of his duties as the secondary coach.

Leonhard has a very bright coaching future in the NFL, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him become a defensive coordinator next year, whether it's with the Broncos (replacing Joseph) or elsewhere.