Vance

Joseph

The Raiders have formally requested an interview with Joseph and the Bears are reportedly interested as well. The Jets’ list of candidates is approaching 20 teams and that’s just for the coaches who have been part of the interview process so far. Vegas’s list is much shorter, though Ben Johnson is gaining momentum there. Joseph may miss out on a head coaching gig this time around, but another successful year in Denver could land him a promotion as soon as 2026.

Joseph’s last head coaching gig came with Denver from 2017 to 2018. The highly-respected defensive coordinator went 11-21 during his two seasons with the team, but returned to the Mile High City in 2023 after Sean Payton was hired as head coach. Joseph’s defense took a massive leap this season after ranking in the bottom third in the league in points and yards allowed in 2023. The Broncos allowed the seventh fewest yards and third fewest points of any team in the league this season, and trailed only the Eagles in yards allowed per play (4.9). Joseph’s recent run of success also drew interest from the Bears and Jets this coaching cycle, making the Raiders the third team to request a sit down with him.

Joseph has long been rumored to make a return to the head coaching ranks ever since he was fired as the Broncos head coach at the end of the 2018 season. A strong stretch as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2020-2021 put his name back on the map, and after returning to Denver in 2023, Joseph needed just two seasons to turn a bottom five defense into a top five defense. There’s a good chance Joseph will generate more interest from teams as the coaching cycle begins to ramps up.

Joseph was released by the Cardinals just days after they hired Jonathan Gannon as their head coach. Joseph served as the Broncos’ head coach from 2017-2018, going 11-21 over that span before being fired after his second season. Soon after, he was hired as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, where he helped orchestrate two top-15 defenses in 2020 and 2021, before seeing the bottom fall out in 2022. Now, Joseph has a chance to take over a Broncos defense that ranked 14th in points allowed per game (21.1) and seventh in yards allowed per game (320.0).

After being officially released from the Cardinals organization just four days ago, Joseph was almost immediately tied to the Eagles and their vacant defensive coordinator position. Joseph appears to be the frontrunner for the job after previous defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was signed to be the new head coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Joseph also interviewed for the defensive coordinator position in Denver, a position reportedly to be down to he and Rex Ryan.

With defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon now the Cardinals’ lead man, ex-head coach Joseph was never going to be hanging around in the desert. He is reportedly a leading candidate to replace Gannon in Philadelphia. He has also drawn interest from the Broncos, though Rex Ryan seems to be the favorite to land the gig in Denver.

After losing defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to the Cardinals, the Eagles are now hoping to lure the Cards’ defensive coordinator to Philly. Joseph is still under contract with the Cardinals, but it’s widely believed that Gannon will take over defensive play calling as the head coach in 2023. Joseph has served as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for the last four seasons, with his defense ranking in the top-15 in 2020 and 2021. The Broncos also put in a request to interview Joseph for their defensive coordinator vacancy. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Joseph had previously served as the Broncos’ head coach (2017-2018).

Joseph is currently under contract with the Cardinals, but with the likelihood of head coach Jonathan Gannon running the defense in 2023, it’s possible Joseph could be made available. Joseph interviewed for the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy earlier this offseason and was briefly tied to the Dolphins’ head coaching job last offseason. A well-established veteran of the league, Joseph spent two seasons as the Broncos’ head coach (2017-2018), going 11-21 over that span. He helped make the Cardinals a top-15 defensive unit in 2020 and 2021 before last year’s struggles saw them drop to 31st in points allowed per game.

The same is true for Lions DC Aaron Glenn and Bengals OC Brian Callahan. The Broncos’ former head coach, Joseph has had a series of strong defenses in Arizona, but it’s evidently not enough even though the Cardinals seem to be leaning toward a defensive mind to replace Kliff Kingsbury. Fowler reports Joseph has yet to be let out of his contract, but that will be a formality, especially if a defensive-minded coach is indeed the hire.

Though not stated in his report, the implication is that Joseph is interviewing for the team’s vacant head coaching position. Joseph has been the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons. Arizona’s defense has struggled over that span, but Joseph is respected in league circles and has previous experience as a head coach, spending two years as the boss in Denver. The Cardinals are also in the running for Sean Payton, so it’s likely that Joseph isn’t their first choice. However, he isn’t a bad backup plan for a team looking to replace Kliff Kingsbury. Arizona’s future comes down to finding a staff that can get the most out of Kyler Murray. Kingsbury couldn’t do that and often appeared at odds with his quarterback. As long as Joseph doesn’t get in shouting matches with his quarterback on the sidelines, he could be an improvement.