Falcons Request Head Coach Interview With Elite Defensive Coach

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are in the thick of a head coaching search, amid several organizational changes, and they have now made several requests for candidates across the NFL. The most recent of which is the request made for Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, as first reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Tuesday evening. 

Despite not having a hire for the president of football role that may end up making many of these decisions, the Falcons have been quick to request time with several coaches in the early parts of this cycle. 

Joseph has led an outstanding campaign for the Broncos in 2025, just the latest in several standout units that he has been in charge of since 2023. 

His unit led the NFL in sacks this season with 68 and has been a consistent presence atop the defensive rankings. The Broncos' defense ranks No. 1 in combined sacks with 173 and turnovers forced with 64 across the last three seasons with Joseph in charge.

The coordinator has 26 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, plus he is one of the candidates in this cycle who will come in with head coaching experience. Ironically, his head coaching experience also came in Denver during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, where his teams finished a combined 11-21. 

However, his offenses were quarterbacked by Trevor Siemian and Case Keenum after succeeding the Super Bowl-winning coach-quarterback tandem, Klint Kubiak and Peyton Manning. 

Joseph has also had stops with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers. He is a well-respected coach who will get the attention of several suitors. 

Russini mentioned that the Falcons are just one of several teams that have submitted a request to speak with the sought-after defensive playcaller. They joined the Tennessee Titans, the Arizona Cardinals, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the New York Giants in seeking permission from the Broncos. 

Similar to the situation involving Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whom the Falcons have also requested to speak with, teams are allowed to request time with candidates involved in postseason runs only during their team’s bye week. They have both received several requests for interviews, so they will likely be judicious in who they speak with, given the condensed timeframe to speak with teams. 

Several candidates are expected to emerge, and Joseph is just the most recent in a long line of candidates that have emerged over the last few days.