Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on Titans’ interview radar

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to be a man in demand in this year’s head-coaching cycle, and the first interview request came his way Monday from the Tennessee Titans.

They made Joseph one of four NFL assistant coaches targeted in their initial round of interview requests to fill their head-coaching vacancy, created when they fired Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start that was plagued with game-management snafus.

Former Broncos assistant Mike McCoy completed the season as interim head coach for the Titans, guiding them to a 2-9 mark the rest of the way.

Joseph, the Broncos’ head coach in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, returned to Denver in 2023 as defensive coordinator and overcame a rough start to eventually rebuild the defense into one of the league’s most powerful units, finishing the 2025 season No. 2 in total defense behind the Houston Texans.

It’s the Broncos’ highest rank in total defense since 2015, when they finished atop the league en route to a Super Bowl 50 title.

Denver also finished third in the league in scoring defense for a second-consecutive season.

By finishing in the top three in total defense and scoring defense in 2025, Joseph’s unit accomplished something not seen by a Broncos defense since 1989, when his mentor, Wade Phillips, guided Denver’s defense to a No. 3 ranking in total defense and a No. 1 place in scoring defense.

The Broncos ranked seventh in the league in total defense in 2024, improving from 25th in his first season after rejoining the club.

But perhaps the most important aspect of Joseph’s potential candidacy rests in what he’s learned in three seasons under Sean Payton.

“I think you discover a lot of things, just how he paints the picture for each player, each week’s game plan,” Joseph said on Thanksgiving. “I think the best thing Coach has done is change the culture, and that’s through players, how we’ve drafted players, the draft process.

“I mean, it’s a deep dive into players. The person, the player, what’s the vision for the player? So, there’s no guessing when we drafted players and we’ve draftde the last three years, even in free agency, very careful of who you bring into your culture because the culture is changed by the players. And I think coaches had a great vision for each player he’s brought in here.

“And the draft process, man, I mean, he is locked in. He spends a lot of time on every player, every position, every round. And that’s how you change it quickly.”

In reflecting on his two years as Broncos head coach, Joseph had some of the right ideas about building the team, but lacked some of the resources to address them as properly as the Broncos did in 2023, particularly along the offensive line.

One should expect that if he gets another shot, he will go about his process in a similar manner as Payton did upon assuming the Broncos’ reins three years ago.

BRONCOS’ WIN OPENED UP THE WEEK FOR INTERVIEWS

The 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday not only sealed the No. 1 seed and the first-round bye, but it also provided a window for Broncos assistant coaches to interview for head-coaching jobs with other teams.

Broncos assistant head coach Davis Webb, who also serves as the team’s quarterbacks coach and works closely with Bo Nix, is also expected to draw interest on the coaching market. He received a promotion to assistant head coach last offseason, along with offensive-line coach Zach Strief and defensive pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Webb also served as an offensive coordinator for one of the teams in the East-West Shrine Bowl two years ago.

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