Broncos DC Vance Joseph Addresses NFL Head-Coaching Interest

Vance Joseph knows he may be entering his final game(s) as Denver Broncos defensive coordinator, given the spate of NFL head-coaching interviews he conducted over the playoff bye week — and the likelihood he'll be offered one of those gigs in the coming days or weeks.

However gratified by the interest, Joseph remains focused on the mission at hand, owing any potential future employment to the behemoth he helped build since returning to the organization in 2023.

“Yes, it’s flattering, but it speaks to the entire program," Joseph told reporters on Wednesday. "Again I think when teams want to hire a coach from a winning program, they want the recipe. So it speaks to [Head] Coach [Sean] Payton, it speaks to the ownership, it speaks to [General Manager] George [Paton], our players. It’s everyone’s reward, so to speak. It’s strange that way. Obviously when teams are struggling and they want to make a change, they look towards the teams who are winning. How we flipped here in the last three years, it’s pretty special. It’s a way to do it. That secret lies with us, so they want that secret.”

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The Broncos were arguably the league's best defense under Joseph's watch this past regular season, leading all teams in sacks and ranking within the top five in various other metrics, including total yards allowed, points allowed, rushing yards allowed, and passing touchdowns allowed.

As of this writing, Joseph has completed interviews with the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Giants for their head-coaching vacancies (New York filled theirs on Monday with the hiring of John Harbaugh).

He's reportedly considered a frontrunner with the Cardinals, for whom he spent four seasons as their defensive playcaller following his failed stint as Denver's head man — before eventually finding his way back to the Mile High City.

“Well, there’s a presence. No. 1, there’s a presence about him that’s very important," Broncos HC Sean Payton conveyed to the media last Friday. "You’re looking to hire the leader of your team and someone that has that command. I think he has a great command about him when he walks into a room. I think he’s one of those, in this day and age, which is real important, he has real good people skills. You can go department to department, and he’ll have a great relationship with those people. So he wears well in the building. That’s a good trait."

"I think his experience. I think having had that opportunity, and now come back full circle, he’s going to be successful. There’s a presence with him now, a confidence with him, but in a very guided and humbled way. He’s extremely smart. I would say he’s had a ton to do with our team’s success. I’ve known him for years. We never were on staff together, but we always seemed to play each other in the preseason, or we played games against Arizona. I think it’s not a matter of if, it’s when and who. I think it’s going to happen, and I know when that time comes, there’ll be 110 people on the other side of those doors super excited for him.”

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver in Danger of Losing Leonhard?

A true nightmare scenario could be unfolding for the Broncos: the loss of both Joseph and assistant head coach/defensive pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard, who many believe has been groomed as the in-house successor at DC.

Leonhard, however, has purportedly drawn interest from the Dallas Cowboys and the Giants for their respective defensive coordinator positions. Social media was alight Thursday, with speculation inferring the sides were nearing an agreement.

Nothing official has been confirmed at the time of publishing.