The Denver Broncos have been one of the most well-run teams in the NFL since 2024, and after a modest breakout season in 2024, the Broncos did lose multiple coaches and front office members. It honestly felt a bit unfair to a degree, as teams that finished with more wins than Denver didn't lose as much.
Well, that's the nature of the NFL, and the 2026 NFL Offseason could see more coaches landing promotions, and one of the more obvious coaches up for a huge promotion is Vance Joseph, who is seen as a favorite in the upcoming head coaching cycle.
Joseph was obviously the Denver Broncos head coach in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but he was not given full control over his own staff and also did not have a stable QB situation, so many people across the league see that he could be very successful in the right situation.
It seems like a guarantee that Vance Joseph lands a head coaching job this coming offseason
Dan Graziano of ESPN ranked the top head coaching candidates for the 2026 cycle, and Vance Joseph was no. 1 on that list, only adding more fuel to the fire that some team will hire him this coming offseason:
Joseph's defense in Denver has ranked among the league's best the past couple of years and has a chance to break the single-season sacks record in 2025 (55 through 13 games). Joseph is also a former head coach, having led the Broncos in 2017 and 2018. He didn't have much success in the role, but he also didn't have a star quarterback and has performed well enough in his current role that teams are interested in him for a potential second chance. Several people to whom I spoke for this list indicated that NFL head coaching experience will be a priority for some of the teams looking for new coaches, and Joseph has it. -- Dan Graziano
Having previous head coaching experience is a plus in the eyes of many teams, and head coaches do tend to perform better in their second second after gaining some experience in their first. Joseph has not only been a top-tier defensive coordinator for the Broncos, but he's also got that previous head coaching experience and has now been a coordinator since the 2019 NFL Season after getting fired from his first head coaching job.
There really isn't anything that wouldn't make Vance Joseph very appealing to any team he interviews with, and the Broncos have probably already braced for him getting a job and bouncing to a new team in the 2026 NFL Offseason.