Will Vance Joseph Get NFL HC Job? Insiders Evaluate Broncos DC's Candidacy

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano see Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as a top candidate to snag an NFL head coaching job this winter.

Graziano wrote Wednesday that Joseph "seems to be the name we're hearing the most" among potential head coaching candidates.

Fowler and Graziano went on to name the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders as potential landing spots for Joseph.

Joseph, who has helped the Broncos field one of the NFL's top defenses over the last two seasons, also served as head coach in Denver from 2017 to 2018.

The Broncos recorded losing records in each of Vance's two seasons while playing with Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch and Case Keenum under center.

"People close to the situation point out that Joseph never had a stable quarterback situation in his first head coaching stint and didn't have full autonomy over the hiring of his staff, so it would seem unfair to completely hold his 11-21 record against him," Graziano wrote.

Graziano added that he feels teams are going to prioritize former head coaches in the 2026 coaching cycle.

"I think that gives guys like Joseph, Arthur Smith, Matt Nagy, etc. a chance," Graziano wrote. "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 Raiders already tried bringing in an experienced head coach this season by hiring Pete Carroll, who spent 14 seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.

That hasn't worked out so far as the Raiders have stumbled out of playoff contention with an 11-2 record.

The Dolphins are meanwhile in their fourth season under Mike McDaniel, who took the job in Miami in 2022 after working as the San Francisco Giants' offensive coordinator.

McDaniel will have to see if his ability to lead the Dolphins on their recent four-game winning streak will be enough to save his job following a 2-7 start to the season that all but doomed his team's hopes of making it back to the playoffs.

The Broncos defense has held opponents to 282 yards against per game, the third-fewest in the NFL, so far this season.

Denver is also on pace to tie the NFL's single-season record of 72 sacks after racking up 55 through 13 games, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi and Jeff Legwold.

If either the Raiders or Dolphins decide to make a change at head coach this offseason, those stats combined with Joseph's head coaching background could potentially make him a candidate for the job.