Getty Broncos DC Vance Joseph could become a coveted head coaching candidate in the offseason.
The Denver Broncos have played like one of the NFL’s best defenses during their 6-2 stretch. Despite an embarrassing Week 15 loss to the Detroit Lions, Vance Joseph might still receive head coaching opportunities in 2024.
Could the Broncos’ defensive coordinator find his second chance in the AFC West?
Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange named the Los Angeles Chargers as a team that could poach Joseph to fill their head coaching vacancy in the offseason.
“Vance Joseph has not only done a great job calling defense for the Broncos for most of this year, but what he’s really known best for is being a great leader and player’s coach. Although things didn’t work out great in his time with the Broncos as a head coach, players really liked Vance Joseph and that continues to be the case. The Chargers might need a head coach the players will truly rally around,” Bedinger wrote in his article published December 16.
Brandon Staley was fired 14 games into his third season with the Chargers. His fate in Hollywood was sealed following a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on December 15.
Including the postseason, Staley had a 24-25 record in Los Angeles through 49 games coached.
Vance Joseph’s Initial Head Coaching Stint in Denver Was a Disaster
If Joseph becomes a head coveting head coaching candidate this offseason, his past might come back to haunt him. The veteran coordinator’s stint as Broncos’ head coach from 2017-18 should give any NFL team pause.
Joseph struggled mightily in his two seasons at the helm in the Mile High City. After the retirement of Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, Denver seemingly lost its way as a winning organization.
During his first season in 2017, Joseph coached Denver to a 3-1 start. The Broncos then suffered an eight-game losing streak and lost 10 of its final 12 games.
The 2018 campaign was not much kinder to the veteran coach. After starting the season 3-6, the Broncos rallied to a 6-6 record before losing its final four matchups.
Joseph went 11-21 as a head coach, missing the playoffs in both years and was fired in December 2018.
Under Joseph, the Broncos had consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1972, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post. O’Halloran also noted Denver experienced back-to-back seasons of at least 10 losses for the first time since 1967.
Chargers Might Be an Ideal Landing Spot for Vance Joseph if He Leaves Broncos
Regardless of the past, Joseph deserves a second chance as a head coach in the NFL. If the Chargers are interested in his services, it would be an ideal landing spot for the veteran coach.
Part of the reason Joseph struggled in Denver was due to a lack of stability under center. The Broncos trotted out four different starting quarterbacks during his two seasons in charge. Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch and Case Keenum all started games in that span.
There are zero quarterback questions in Los Angeles, with Justin Herbert emerging as one of the best at his position. Herbert passed for at least 25 touchdowns in his first three seasons since being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Defensively, Joseph would possibly get to work with All-Pro talents in pass rusher Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James.
The Chargers severely underachieved on defense under Staley in 2023. According to Fox Sports, the Chargers rank 27th in points per game (24.6), 29th in yards per game (375.3) and 29th in pass defense (261.4).
Joseph helped revive a lackluster defensive unit halfway through his first season as the Broncos defensive coordinator. If the Chargers give him a chance, is there any chance Joseph could replicate his 2023 turnaround in Los Angeles?