The Denver Broncos are having an incredible season and a win over the Green Bay Packers this week would cement their status as Super Bowl contenders.
At 11-2, the Broncos hold the tiebreaker over the New England Patriots and thus have sole possession of the No.1 seed in the American Football Conference playoff picture.
After starting the season 1-2, Denver has rattled off 10 consecutive wins with impressive play from the defense and resiliency from the offense.
Both could actually end up hurting the Broncos after this season. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is drawing a lot of interest as a head coach candidate for the next coaching cycle because of his efforts with Denver’s powerful unit, which would prompt the Broncos to find his replacement and hope that the new defensive coordinator has similar success.
“People see what Mike Vrabel has been able to do in New England this season and what Jim Harbaugh has been able to do with the Chargers in his first two years there, and teams want to make sure they're bringing in someone they know can run a program -- not someone who has just been really good at the smaller job who they think can run a program. I think that gives guys like Joseph, Arthur Smith, Matt Nagy, etc. a chance,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote Wednesday. “Even if they weren't successful in their first stints as head coaches, they've done the job and probably learned from whatever mistakes they might have made the first time.”
The offense has their struggles from time to time, but second-year quarterback Bo Nix has led numerous comebacks in the fourth quarter and has become a more complete QB in his sophomore season. That’s a testament to QB coach Davis Webb, who could join Joseph as his offensive coordinator if the latter is hired for the big job, according to Graziano.
“We talked about Vance Joseph's head coach candidacy earlier, and a defensive-minded head coach candidate is always going to have to sell a team on his choice of offensive coordinator. To that end, keep an eye on Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb, who's viewed as a strong coaching prospect in many circles and could be a candidate to go with Joseph as offensive coordinator if Joseph gets a head coach job this cycle. Webb has familiarity with the [New York] Giants' organization, which drafted him in the third round in 2017; he spent the first and last years of his career there before moving into coaching in 2023.”
The New York Giants are one of two teams that already have a head coach vacancy and would be interested in Joseph’s services. The connection with Webb from when he was drafted could create more interest for the Giants if he is who Joseph brings onto his staff.