As the Broncos prepare for their first playoff game since the 2015 season, their defensive coordinator has emerged as a candidate for at least one head coach opening over the last week.
Such is the price of success in the NFL.
Vance Joseph helped turn around a Denver defense that was among the bottom third in the league a year ago, and now other franchises could soon try to pry him away.
While Joseph reiterated his desire to be a head coach again when talking to reporters Thursday after practice, he also made sure to emphasize the importance of Sunday’s wild-card matchup at Buffalo.
“I hope to have a chance to do it again, but I’m not chasing it,” Joseph said. “My focus is on this team and winning the game on Sunday.
“When that time comes, I’ll spend some time on that.”
On Monday, Joseph received a request to interview for the New York Jets head coaching job, sources told The Denver Post. Joseph called the interview request “flattering” and it speaks to the team’s success.
Joseph was Denver’s head coach from 2017-18 before he was fired. Following his exit, Joseph was the defensive coordinator in Arizona for four seasons and then returned to Denver in 2023 to work under head coach Sean Payton.
Joseph put himself in a position to be considered for head coaching jobs this offseason after transforming Denver’s defense into a top-10 group in 2024.
The Broncos ended the regular season ranked first in sacks (63), seventh in total yards allowed (317.1) and third in points allowed per game (18.3). Denver was near the bottom of the league in those categories last year.
Joseph wasn’t sure he would get back to the point where he’d be considered for a head coaching job again. But he’s also previously talked about using this opportunity under Payton as a springboard to get another crack at the top headset.
“If you win games and you’re a good coach, it speaks for itself,” Joseph said.
Payton said Wednesday that he has a number of coaches on staff, including Joseph, who have bigger coaching roles ahead of them in the future. “I really want the best for all of them. That’s a good thing,” he said.
Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is among the defensive players who believe Joseph deserves another shot.
“Knowing how much he uplifts the defense, and the type of motivation he brings to us every day, that stuff is contagious,” Bonitto, who has totaled 21.5 sacks in two seasons under Joseph, told The Post.
Before P.J. Locke had his first meeting with Joseph last year, he felt counted out. For three seasons, Locke didn’t start a game. Joseph, however, told Locke that he had the talent to help Denver win games.
Locke has started in 23 games since, totaling four sacks and 127 tackles.
“It felt good to have a coach that believed in me,” Locke told The Post. “From that point on, I’ve been a VJ fan.”
Locke called Joseph a “players’ coach.” He respected how Joseph tried to adjust his philosophy to what the players on the roster already knew instead of forcing them to learn new terminology.
He has also admired how Joseph navigated through the criticism last year, and improved Denver’s defense to the point the unit was the driving force for making the postseason for the first time in nine years.
“Selfishly, I don’t want him to go (and) learn another defense,” Locke said. “But he deserves it.”
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