Vance Joseph Augmenting Head Coaching Resume As Broncos' DC

In 2017, change was coming to the Denver Broncos. The glory of the team's 2015 Super Bowl-winning season was beginning to recede, mainly due to the retirements of quarterback Peyton Manning after the title season and coach Gary Kubiak following the 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, a 44-year-old defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins named Vance Joseph was beginning to gain some notoriety.

Working with a unit whose only household name was defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Joseph coached an 11.5-sack season out of edge rusher Cameron Wake that earned him second team All-Pro, a trip to the Pro Bowl and second-place finish in the Comeback Player of the Year Voting, and a 115-tackle season out linebacker Kiko Alonso, with safety Isa Abdul Quddus (78 tackles), edge Andre Branch (5.5 sacks) and cornerback Tony Lippett (four interceptions) also punching above their perceived weights.

That earned Joseph an interview for the Broncos' head-coaching job which he turned into an appointment to be the man who would follow Kubiak on the sidelines.

Things started well for Jospeh and the Broncos in 2017 with a 3-1 record after four weeks. However, that was followed by eight consecutive losses in what would end up as a 5-11 season. Things improved slightly in 2018 with Denver sitting 6-6 after 12 weeks, but four straight defeats to end the season confined them to a 6-10 final record.

The 11-21 two-season record resulted in Joseph's dismissal, with Vic Fangio, another highly regarded defensive coordinator, called in to pick up the pieces.

But did Joseph sulk? No, he immediately got back to work and landed the DC role for the Arizona Cardinals under new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, a job retained for the 2019-22 seasons before Kingsbury was shown the door following a 4-13 2022 Cardinals' campaign.

Again, Joseph bounced right back up, returning to his old Mike High stomping grounds when he was hired as DC by new coach Sean Payton prior to the 2023 season.

After a settling-in 2023 season, Joseph has built the defense masterfully with the unit finishing third-best in points allowed in both 2024 and 2025, with consecutive top-seven finishes in rushing and total yards allowed. The 2025 squad also posted 68 sacks, just four shy of the regular-season record of 72 set by the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Prior to becoming Miami's DC, Joseph spent 11 seasons as a defensive backs coach for three different organizations and he retains an ability to successfully groom DBs, as evidenced by the star turns that cornerback Jaquan McMillian, and safeties Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga have made.

Their play has been so exquisite that all of them are looking like they will earn contract extensions from the team at some point.

The defense's consistently strong performance is also making it look like Joseph could be earning some renewed attention as a potential NFL head coach.

Writing for The Athletic on Oct. 24, Jonathan Jones wondered if it was time for Jospeh to return to the head-coaching ranks: "Will this be the year Vance Joseph gets another shot at being a head coach?" Jones asked. "The Broncos have ranked third in points allowed each of the past two seasons....With the Broncos offense playing at a low never before reached by Sean Payton, Joseph’s defense is keeping them among the AFC contenders."

To be fair, Joseph did interview for five head-coaching vacancies last offseason: the Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders, so his name is back on the head-man radar.

But with another stout defensive performance underway this season as the Broncos stand 5-2, Joseph could be a first-choice target for any team that might be looking for new leadership in 2027.