Vance Joseph’s head-coaching stock rising; Broncos DC discusses future
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who also served as the team’s head coach from 2017-18, interviewed for the Raiders’ and Jets’ HC posts in this year’s carousel. While he did not appear to be a serious contender for either job, an October report suggested he would be back on the head coaching radar in a more meaningful way in 2026, and Mike Klis of 9News confirms as much.
According to Kils, Joseph is the candidate who has been mentioned most frequently with respect to one of the HC vacancies in the upcoming cycle. After working as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019-22, the 53-year-old joined Sean Payton’s first staff in Denver in 2023. Although his ‘23 unit finished near the bottom of the league in terms of both total defense and points per game, his 2024-25 defenses have been among the NFL’s best
As Klis notes, Joseph is particularly well-regarded for his ability to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which is perhaps the most important attribute of a defense in the modern game. The Broncos have amassed a league-leading 112 sacks in the past one-and-a-half seasons, which is one of the reasons why Joseph is expected to generate so much HC interest (he has already been connected to the Titans’ vacancy).
When asked earlier this week about the attention his work has earned, Joseph predictably downplayed his HC aspirations while acknowledging that working under Payton has provided him with valuable insight as to how to “fix” a team (which is similar to what Commanders offensive coordinator and former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Joseph’s ex-boss, recently said about working under Dan Quinn).
“It’s flattering, but my second time through the process, or my third or fourth time through the process, I don’t think about it,” Joseph said. “I really don’t because I know it’s about winning. Everyone wants to hire winners. They want to hire someone who’s fixed something. And there’s no better example than what we’ve done here the last three years. Being with Sean Payton helped my learning with how to fix a team.”
Joseph posted a disappointing 11-21 record in his two seasons as the Broncos’ bench boss, but Denver’s quarterback situation during that time left much to be desired. Additionally, Joseph’s team was 6-6 in 2018 before injuries to Pro Bowlers Chris Harris and Emmanuel Sanders helped key a four-game skid to close that season.
As of the time of this writing, the 9-2 Broncos are just a half-game behind the Patriots for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Naturally, Joseph indicated his attention is focused on his team’s postseason push, and he said he will be happy to return to Denver if he does not land an HC job in 2026.
“The key is to win. And not worry about the process,” he said. “It’s the Broncos’ season right now and that’s my focus, honestly. If it happens, I’ll be happy. And if it doesn’t, I’m still going to have a good job. I have good players. I’m in a great city. I have no worries, honestly.”
His accomplishments aside, there could be another reason for the buzz around Joseph. As our Sam Robinson recently wrote in a subscribers-only piece, the would-be 2026 crop of offensive-minded HC talent (like Kingsbury) has not generated much momentum in 2025, which could make teams more inclined to consider defensive-oriented candidates.
It may be the case that this is actually the healthiest Houston has been all season
Over the last three weeks, the Houston Texans have gotten their season back on track, getting both to and above .500 for the first time all year thanks to three consecutive wins. As if winning three straight games in the NFL isn't difficult enough, the Texans have had to do so without both starting quarterback CJ Stroud and safety Jalen Pitre.
CJ Stroud and Jalen Pitre had both been sideline after suffering concussions in a last-second loss to the Denver Broncos back in Week 9. Fortunately, as the Texans enter the stretch run of the season, they'll be doing so with both Stroud and Pitre back in the lineup today against the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, you could make the case that this is actually the healthiest that Houston has been all season long. For the record, here are the Texans inactives ahead of today's game.
Braxton Berrios
Graham Mertz
Jamal Hill
Jarrett Kingston
Laken Tomlinson
And while the inactives for the Indianapolis Colts don't necessarily deliver any surprises, the Colts offense is dealing with two pretty noteworthy injuries/illnesses. 'What's the deal with Daniel Jones' fibula?' has been asked more times over the last three days than 'What's your favorite Thanksgiving pie?' Jones is suiting up for Indianapolis, but he's not going to be 100% and with the Texans pass rush operating at peak level this season, Indiana Jones could be in for a long afternoon.
A surprise addition to this conversation has been Tyler Warren, the Colts' spectacular rookie tight end who popped up on the injury report on Saturday and was considered questionable coming into Sunday morning due to flu-like symptoms. Sounds to me like someone ate too many leftover turkey sandwiches on Friday. Indianapolis' Sunday morning injury report did confirm though that Warren will give it a go against the Texans.
If the Colts win on Sunday, they'll move one step closer to clinching an AFC South title for the first time since 2014. If Houston goes into Indy and upsets the Colts, the Texans will be just one game back in the division standings with a meeting with the Colts in H-Town coming up in the final week of the season.
C.J. Stroud’s return changes Houston’s offensive ceiling
C.J. Stroud returns after missing three games with a concussion, restoring Houston’s vertical range. The Texans won all three with Davis Mills, but the offense leaned on short throws and heavy run volume. Stroud’s 8.3 air yards per attempt and 98.0 passer rating when kept clean make him central to Houston’s balance.
The Texans average 27.5 points when Stroud is sacked two or fewer times. His offensive line, now settled with Aireontae Ersery, Tytus Howard, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram, and Trent Brown, faces a Colts defense ranked top ten in pressure rate. If the line holds, Houston’s deep attack to Nico Collins and Tank Dell can stretch Indianapolis vertically.
