The byproduct of success in the NFL is that other teams want what you're having. They all want a piece. The Denver Broncos used to be the team constantly in the news cycle for going after these coaches on other teams, trying to get back to relevance, and now the tables have turned.
For as overrated and "fraudulent" as many seem to think the Denver Broncos are, there sure are a lot of teams trying to mooch off of their coaching staff. What the Broncos have accomplished over the past three seasons might not be respected by all of the talking heads, but teams around the NFL have taken notice.
The Dallas Cowboys are the latest. With a defensive coordinator vacancy, the Cowboys are trying to secure an interview with Broncos defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, whose name being out there like this is some of the least surprising news so far in 2026.
Dallas Cowboys trying to get a closer look at Broncos DBs coach Jim Leonhard
The Cowboys have requested to interview Broncos defensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard for their open DC job (1st @toddarcher)
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 9, 2026
With Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph interviewing for a variety of teams this week to be their next head coach, potentially, it would not be shocking at all if the Broncos asked Leonhard to hold off on this interview. Or if he takes the interview, it would not be shocking at all if they told him they would want the last word on bringing him back.
Leonhard has been an integral piece of the Broncos' coaching staff, coaching up the defensive backs over the past couple of seasons while also earning a raise and bump in title to pass game coordinator as well as assistant head coach this past year.
Internally, the Broncos view Leonhard extremely highly and would obviously hate to lose him. With Joseph seemingly on his way to a head coaching opportunity, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think that Leonhard has been the team's defensive coordinator in waiting for a while now.
But the reality of the NFL is very simple: You can't wait around too long when these opportunities come about. If Vance Joseph doesn't get a head coaching job, what happens then? You would have to think Leonhard would move on and take a coordinator job with a team like Dallas, where he'd be phenomenal.
Earlier in the 2025 season, the Denver Broncos' defense put the Dallas Cowboys' top-ranked offense in a blender. That defensive backfield made a lot of plays against Dak Prescott and the Dallas receivers, and it wouldn't be shocking if that was a landmark moment that really impressed the Cowboys.
The Broncos have had a number of coaches getting looks from other teams. Obviously Vance Joseph has interviewed for nearly every available job, but Davis Webb has also gotten multiple interviews and the Giants are looking at special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
The idea of losing Vance Joseph to a head coaching gig is something Broncos fans have mostly come to grips with. But what happens if the Broncos lose Vance Joseph and Jim Leonhard? It's an unlikely but not impossible scenario at this stage.