Vance Joseph

Cardinals To Interview Vance Joseph

January 10th, 2019 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

Former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph will meet with new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury on Thursday to discuss the team’s defensive coordinator position, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). As the first candidate to speak with Kingsbury, it appears that Joseph has a good opportunity to land the job.

Of course, Joseph is still in the mix for the Bengals’ head coaching search, which also includes Eric Bieniemy, Hue Jackson, Bill Lazor, Todd Monken, Darren Simmons, Zac Taylor, and Shane Waldron. Despite Joseph’s lack of success in Denver, he’s believed to have a real chance of becoming Cincinnati’s next head coach.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are also said to be considering the 68-year-old Dom Capers as a potential defensive counterpart to Kingsbury.

Coaching Rumors: Jets, Stefanski, Schiano

January 9th, 2019 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is a “strong candidate” to become the Jets‘ defensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While it doesn’t sound as though New York has officially reached out to Joseph yet, the connection makes sense, as Joseph served as Gase’s DC in 2016 before landing the top job in Denver. Joseph interviewed for the Bengals’ head coaching job and remains a candidate there, but the Jets clearly present something of a fallback plan.

On the offensive side of the ball, Dowell Loggains — who worked under Gase with both the Bears and Dolphins — is expected to be involved in Gase’s staff, tweets Jeff Darlington of NFL.com. However, Loggains is still technically Miami’s offensive coordinator and will need to get out of his contract, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the coaching carousel:

Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods has drawn interest as a defensive backs coach from both the Redskins and Jaguars, and as many as three teams are eyeing Woods, possibly even as a coordinator, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Denver had not been allowing its assistant coaches take interviews with other teams, but that will change now that new head coach Vic Fangio is in place. Fangio is a defensive coach by trade, so he may take on play-calling now that he’s in Denver. Even if he doesn’t call plays himself, Fangio might want to bring in his own DC, so Woods is certainly in limbo. A longtime defensive backs coach, Woods took over the Broncos defense in 2017.
In returning as the Vikings‘ full-time offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski inked a two-year deal, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Stefanski is now signed for longer than head coach Mike Zimmer, whose contract expires after the 2019 campaign. The 36-year-old Stefanski took over as Minnesota’s OC after John DeFilippo was fired, and lead the club’s offense for the final three games of the regular season. Despite that limited track record, Stefanski was a serious candidate for the Browns’ head coaching position, finishing second only to Freddie Kitchens.
New Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will likely implement much of his own staff, at least on the offensive side of the ball, but one incumbent Green Bay staffer has already received an offer to stick around. LaFleur wants tight ends coach Brian Angelichio to stay with the Packers, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). Angelichio worked with Kyle Shanahan on the 2014 Browns’ staff, meaning he has experience with the Sean McVay/Shanahan/LaFleur offense. He’s been with Green Bay since 2016.
Klint Kubiak is receiving “strong consideration” for the Broncos‘ quarterbacks coach job, tweets Klis. Kubiak is the son of Gary Kubiak, the former Denver head coach who was today installed as the club’s offensive coordinator under new head coach Vic Fangio. Klint Kubiak, 31, began his coaching career at Texas A&M before moving to the Vikings in 2013. He joined the Broncos in 2016, serving as an offensive assistant focusing on quarterbacks.
In announcing defensive coordinator Greg Schiano‘s departure from Ohio State, head coach Ryan Day said Schiano would be pursuing “options in the NFL” (Twitter link). That’s certainly a vague statement, and doesn’t indicate Schiano has a specific job lined up, but he could be in consideration for DC or position coach gigs around the league. Head coach of the Buccaneers from 2012-13, Schiano was rumored to have generated NFL interest at this time last year, but he ultimately stayed at OSU.

Vance Joseph To Have Two Day Interview With Bengals

January 2nd, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Zachary Links

Vance Joseph‘s head coaching interview with the Bengals will take place over the course of Thursday and Friday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s perhaps an indication that Joseph is high on the Bengals’ list as they get their search underway.

Joseph had a rough two years as the head coach of the Broncos, and nearly lost his job in Denver after one season, but he has history with the bengals. Joseph served as the club’s defensive backs coach in 2014 and 2015, guiding his unit to an NFL-leading 41 interceptions during that time.

Joseph was expected to be a top defensive coordinator candidate in this cycle, but the Bengals apparently believe that he can thrive as a head coach in the right environment. If this doesn’t shake out, however, it’s hard to see Joseph being a top head coaching candidate elsewhere after the Broncos took a nosedive in 2017 and 2018.

The Bengals have also reached out to Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Rams offensive staffers Zac Taylor and Shane Waldron. There are also in-house candidates in the mix such as Bengals OC Bill Lazor and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.

Vance Joseph To Interview For Bengals’ HC Job

January 1st, 2019 at 6:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals are going to explore one of their former assistants’ viability for their head coaching position.

Rumored as a possibility to become Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph is expected to interview for the Bengals’ HC job this week, Ryan Koensigsberg of BSN Denver and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (Twitter links).

Joseph’s two years in Denver brought the franchise to a rare two-year low point, the Broncos finishing consecutive seasons with losing records for the first time in nearly 50 years. But Mike Brown values familiarity, and Joseph served as the Bengals’ secondary coach from 2014-15.

Joseph joins Bengals assistants Bill Lazor and Darren Simmons as interviewees. The Bengals also requested meetings with Josh McDaniels and Rams assistants Zac Taylor and Shane Waldron. Taylor will interview for the Bengals’ job on Friday.

Now 46, Joseph has not been connected to any other HC jobs since the Broncos fired him on Monday. He went 11-21 in two seasons in Denver.

Bengals Fire Marvin Lewis

December 31st, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just moments after Adam Gase was let go, another more surprising move was made. Marvin Lewis has been fired by the Bengals, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

While Lewis came very close to losing his job last year, he ultimately ended up signing a two year extension with the Bengals and had been expected to be allowed back in 2019 if he wanted to continue. It’s the end of one of the longest coaching stints in recent NFL history, as Lewis coached the team for 16 years. Although he inherited one of the worst teams in the league that was a complete mess and turned them into a winner, the Bengals went 0-7 in the playoffs during his tenure.

That being said, Lewis completely changed the culture of a team that was a laughingstock and hadn’t had a winning season in 13 years when he was hired, so it’s understandable why owner Mike Brown had stayed so loyal to him over the years.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted in a follow up tweet to “keep an eye on Vance Joseph” in Cincinnati. Joseph, who was fired by the Broncos earlier today, was an assistant on Lewis’ staff for a couple of seasons before taking the defensive coordinator job in Miami. The Bengals like to hire and promote from within, so Joseph getting consideration isn’t a surprise.

Mike Garafolo wrote in a tweet of his own that Lewis has told people that he wants to continue coaching, so this isn’t a retirement. It’ll be very interesting to see if another team gives him a shot as a head coach. All told throughout 16 seasons, Lewis went 131-122-3, and won the AFC North four times.

Broncos Fire Vance Joseph

December 31st, 2018 at 8:37am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another long expected move was made official this morning, as the Broncos are indeed firing Vance Joseph, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Joseph was almost fired after last season until John Elway had a last minute change of heart, but wasn’t that lucky this time around. He lasted only two years in Denver ultimately, going 5-11 in 2017 before improving only marginally and going 6-10 this year. Players had lobbied for Joseph to keep his job and while he was expected to be fired there were also late reports that he could be kept and paired up with former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak as his OC.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted in a tweet that Joseph will be a “top defensive coordinator candidate” and Joseph is a highly respected defensive mind. He’s been linked to the Bengals’ defensive coordinator opening as he was an assistant coach in Cincinnati for a couple of years and is close with Marvin Lewis. Miami is another possibility if they fire their defensive coordinator which many expect, as Joseph coordinated the Dolphins’ defense successfully before taking the Broncos job.

As for Denver, Elway will be conducting his fourth coaching search in the last six years. Once an organization known for their stability and winning culture, the Broncos have been disarray the last few years ever since the retirement of Peyton Manning. With their Christmas Eve blowout loss to the Raiders two weeks ago, they clinched back to back losing seasons for the first time in 45 years.

It’ll be a very interesting offseason for the Broncos, as they must decide what to do with Case Keenum and whether or not to draft a quarterback high. Schefter noted in a follow up tweet that the team has requested to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores for their head coaching job, and we’ve also heard they were interested in John Harbaugh. In an additional tweet, Schefter writes that the team has also requested to interview former Titans head coach and current Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak for their vacancy.

AFC Coaching Rumors: Gase, Harbaugh, Tomlin, Joseph

December 29th, 2018 at 6:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We just heard that Todd Bowles is officially done, and there is a ton of other new coaching news to sort through. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com came out with a breakdown of all the notable coaching situations in the AFC, and there were some interesting nuggets. It was reported recently that Dolphins coach Adam Gase isn’t necessarily safe in Miami, and Rapoport confirms that. There’s a “legitimate possibility” that Gase “ends up out of work”, sources told Rapoport.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network posted in a follow up tweet that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross “was pissed Sunday so everything is up for evaluation.” It won’t be the end of the world for Gase if he’s let go, as he’d immediately be a hot name and could surely land an offensive coordinator gig if not a head coaching job right away. Rapoport notes that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam “has long been a fan” of Gase, so he’d probably be a candidate in Cleveland. Gase has done a good job winning more games than expected with an injury and talent depleted roster, but it looks like Dolphins ownership might be looking for a total top to bottom reset, from the front office to quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Here’s more from the AFC coaching ranks:

While the Ravens came out and announced that John Harbaugh would be back in 2019, it’s been made clear that his status in Baltimore is still up in the air. There have been reports that Harbaugh isn’t interested in signing an extension and may want to test the market. While Rapoport does confirm that’s a “real possibility”, he does note that Harbaugh’s agent Bryan Harlan was in town to begin talking with the Ravens this past Sunday. It had previously been reported the two sides hadn’t talked at all, so it seems like there’s been some progress there.
It’s been a frustrating year for the Steelers, and despite some fans and media types calling for Mike Tomlin’s removal, the 12th year head coach isn’t going anywhere, according to Rapoport. That being said, Rapoport writes there could be a staff shakeup, and defensive coordinator Keith Butler could be on his way out, while “several assistants could be changed out” as well.
While most people have assumed Vance Joseph is a goner in Denver, there is still a “slim possibility” John Elway elects to stick with Joseph for another year, according to Rapoport. While Rapsheet still expects the Broncos to ultimately move on, he notes there is a scenario in which the Broncos fire offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, keep Joseph, and have former head coach Gary Kubiak come down from the front office and assume control of the offense. That would be a very interesting move, but at this point it still seems likely there’s an opening in the Mile High City.

Coaching Notes: Harbaugh, Ravens, Carroll, Seahawks, Packers, Fitzgerald, Joseph, Bengals

December 25th, 2018 at 10:20am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s the time of year where the coaching carousel is about to be in full swing, and there are a ton of rumors floating around. While there are a slew of coaches who are near locks to be fired come next Monday, the biggest stories of the week have been about two coaches who are staying put, John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll. The Ravens suddenly announced Harbaugh would be back in 2019 after there was a ton of speculation that he’d be fired if Baltimore missed the playoffs. While the team announced in their statement they were going to try to work on an extension and all appeared to be well and good, his long term future with the team is apparently very much still in doubt.

There’s a “real chance” that Harbaugh opts not to sign any extension from the Ravens, notes Peter King of NBC Sports. King writes Harbaugh may “coach his final season and take his chance on the market in 2020.” Harbaugh was expected to be pursued by several teams if he was let go by the Ravens, and would likely have his pick of at least a few jobs if he decides to go that route in 2020. For what it’s worth Harbaugh didn’t sound particularly excited after the Ravens announced he’d be back in 2019, calling the news a “non-story”, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN (Twitter link). Coaches very rarely willingly switch teams, but it sounds like Harbaugh could be an exception.

Here’s more from the coaching ranks as we barrel toward Week 17:

Carroll got an extension from the Seahawks this past week, and is committed to Seattle for the long haul. Carroll spoke glowingly of the organization, and said he plans on coaching at least another five years, according to Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. His new deal is reportedly paying him around $11MM per year, so it’s no surprise he’s in no rush to get going. The three year extension will take Carroll through his age 70 season.
Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald could be a candidate for the Packers’ head coaching job, multiple people told Albert Breer of SI.com. Breer points out that Packers president Mark Murphy used to be Northwestern’s athletic director, and hired Fitzgerald at NU. Fitzgerald has done a great job turning the Wildcats into a good program, and his name has come up a couple of times in recent NFL coaching cycles. It would be an outside the box hire, but that might be exactly what Green Bay needs to re-energize the team.
Vance Joseph is all but certain to be fired by the Broncos at the end of the season, but his days as a head coach might not be over. Joseph’s name “has popped up in recent weeks as a potential heir to” Marvin Lewis with the Bengals, according to Breer. Joseph was a defensive backs coach with the Bengals for a couple of years before landing the DC gig in Miami, and as Breer notes, the Bengals love to hire people they’re familiar with. Breer also writes that “there’s been talk that owner Mike Brown could take one more run at it with Marvin Lewis in charge in 2019″, before he cedes more control over to his children after next year. It’s quite possible Joseph joins the team on the defensive staff next year, and that he and Hue Jackson battle it out to succeed Lewis after that.

Broncos Notes: Gotsis, Kerr, Ray, Kelly

December 23rd, 2018 at 8:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis is setting himself up for a solid payday. The former second-rounder is eligible to sign an extension this offseason, and the new contract has certainly been on the 26-year-old’s mind.

“It’s exciting knowing that (could) come in the future,” Gotsis told Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “I feel like if I take care of what I have to on the field, the extension is going to be there when the time comes. Saying this or saying that won’t get it done for me. It’s just going out there and making plays.”

Gotsis has been productive this season, compiling 35 tackles and a pair of sacks, and Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 51st among 116 interior defenders. As O’Halloran writes, the defensive end has really turned in on over the past six games, as he’s collected 11.5 “stuffs,” two hits, and both of his sacks.

O’Halloran points to the extension signed by teammate Derek Wolfe as a potential basis for Gotsis’ new deal. Wolfe inked a four-year, $36.7MM back in 2016. O’Halloran also opines that inking Gotsis to a new deal with be a priority for John Elway and Denver’s front office.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Denver…

O’Halloran also previewed the Broncos players who are set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. The writer doesn’t see a reason why the team wouldn’t bring back defensive lineman Zach Kerr, but he has the opposite sentiment for linebacker Shane Ray. The writer also explores the chances of bringing back cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Bradley Roby, linebacker Shaquil Barrett, offensive guard Max Garcia, tight end Jeff Heuerman, center Matt Paradis, nose tackle Domata Peko, offensive lineman Billy Turner, and offensive tackle Jared Veldheer.
Former Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly appeared in court last week to be arraigned on a felony charge of first-degree trespassing (via Caitlin Hendee and Katie Wilcox of 9News.com). The charge stems from an Oct. 23 incident when the backup signal-caller allegedly walked into a family’s house after departing Von Miller‘s Halloween party. Denver released the former seventh-rounder following the arrest. The arraignment was continued to January 28th.
We previously heard the Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is expected to be fired at the end of the season, and it sounds like he’ll then become one of the top candidates for the Bengals’ defensive coordinator gig. We also heard today that Denver is still hopeful of interviewing Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, despite Baltimore’s recent announcement that Harbaugh will be back in 2019

Vance Joseph Will Be DC Candidate For Bengals; Latest On Broncos’ HC Search

December 23rd, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Rory Parks

The Bengals seem to enjoy reuniting with old friends, regardless of those friends’ present status with the rest of the league. Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, who was the Bengals’ defensive backs coach from 2014-15, is expected to be fired at the end of the season, and assuming that happens, he will become one of the top candidates for the Bengals’ defensive coordinator job, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Despite Denver’s brief reemergence into the playoff picture this season, Joseph’s two-year tenure as the Broncos’ head coach has been a resounding disappointment. He very nearly lost his job at the end of the 2017 campaign, and he has appeared overwhelmed at times. But Bengals owner Mike Brown — who quickly hired former Cincinnati staffer Hue Jackson as a special assistant when Jackson was let go by the Browns earlier this year — has retained an interest in Joseph and will consider him for the DC position.

Head coach Marvin Lewis‘ future with Cincinnati is murky at best, and Schefter suggests that Joseph, if hired, could ultimately replace Lewis as the team’s head coach. The same has been said of Jackson, though neither scenario is likely to make Bengals fans particularly happy. Of course, as Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets, the fact that the Bengals are planning to pursue Joseph for their DC job suggests that they already know who their 2019 head coach will be, which means that Lewis could be back for his 17th year or Jackson could get yet another shot at an HC gig.

The Broncos, meanwhile, will need to replace Joseph at the end of the year. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the team is still hopeful of interviewing Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, despite Baltimore’s recent announcement that Harbaugh will be back in 2019. After all, there have been no extension talks between Harbaugh and the Ravens to date, Harbaugh’s present contract only keeps him under club control through 2019, and league sources are skeptical that Harbaugh will return as a lame duck coach.

Broncos executive Gary Kubiak may be open to pursuing offensive coordinator gigs in 2019, but he and Harbaugh formed a strong relationship during Kubiak’s one year as the Ravens’ OC, and if Kubiak remains in Denver’s front office, he would play a major role in trying to get Harbaugh to Mile High.

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