ESPN Tabs Broncos DC Vance Joseph 'Top Head Coach Candidate'

While the opportunity to become a head coach in the NFL is rare for an individual, several positions open up every year with the cut-throat nature of the NFL.

Sure as night meets day, NFL’s so-called NFL "Black Monday" will open doors for ascending assistant coaches, and of course former head coaches who have redeemed themselves in one way or another. 

That always leads to speculation even before the season has fully played out. After all, the Saints, Jets and Bears already have openings to be filled, and several other tanking teams are on the same path.

So when ESPN senior analyst Dan Graziano ranked the top candidates for future NFL head coaching jobs, we found a familiar face in that of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

Graziano ranks Joseph No. 6 on the list of candidates behind Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and ahead of Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

“Another former head coach hoping for another shot, Joseph has done excellent work as Payton's defensive coordinator the past two years (ironically, for the team he served as head coach in 2017-18),” wrote Graziano on ESPN+. 

“Joseph is well-regarded around the NFL, and some defend his time as the Broncos' coach by pointing out how dismal the quarterback situation was when he was there. (The Broncos were 29th in QBR and yards per attempt over those two seasons.)

“Heading up one of the best defenses in the league this season has thrust him back onto the radar for a potential second chance at running his own show. The Broncos have the third-best yards allowed per play (4.9) and second-best defensive efficiency.”

Joseph gained vital experience through failure as the head coach in Denver . Ironically, it could be used as an especially powerful tool when he lands some interviews.

It’s also an indication of his character that he wasn't scared to take a step back in order to rebuild his coaching career, and he also displayed just how mentally strong he was by deciding it was best to right some historical wrongs in Denver.

Having said that, working under Sean Payton was a golden opportunity Joseph might have come to regret had he passed it up. That’s not to say there haven’t been several ups and downs along the way.

Things certainly didn't click immediately, simply tune into any broadcast of a Broncos game and you will quickly be reminded of the 70-point debacle against the Miami Dolphins last year.

Now that the Broncos currently lead the league in sacks, and rank highly in several other major statistical categories, you might think everything is pretty peachy.

Only partly however, because Joseph will be hoping the holes the Cleveland Browns punched in the Denver D can be fixed during the bye week, the return of third-year cornerback Riley Moss after the bye week would help massively.

Graziano is right on the money, there's a veritable boatload of football still left to play this season. Furthermore, you could only imagine what a playoff run would do for Joseph's chances to get a head coaching gig somewhere else -  file that under turbo boost

A glance at the names listed ahead and behind of Joseph, including Flores, Detroit's coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn among others, will immediately clue you in on the difficulty involved before he returns to the top of the coaching tree.