Rex Ryan may be “a top candidate” to become Denver’s defensive coordinator, but he’s not the only candidate.
Mike Klis of 9News.com reports that the Broncos have requested permission to interview Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for the vacant coordinator job with the Broncos.
Joseph is under contract with the Cardinals. New coach Jonathan Gannon -- a defensive expert -- may want to go in a different direction, or to serve as the de facto coordinator of the Arizona defense.
Joseph was Denver’s head coach from 2017 to 2018. It’s not unprecedented for a former head coach to return to a team later as an assistant; Gunther Cunningham did it in Kansas City, for example.
A potential return by Joseph occurs after there was speculation that Vic Fangio could be the former Broncos head coach to come back as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Whoever gets the job with new coach Sean Payton will essentially be the head coach of the defense, since Payton focuses heavily on the offense.
Which means that, if it’s Joseph, he could be having the time of his life, all over again.
