If Joseph leaves for a head-coaching gig elsewhere, the Broncos will receive two third-round compensatory draft picks from the NFL. The expectation is that secondary coach Jim Leonhard would take over as defensive coordinator in the event of Joseph departing.

Joseph's four years in Arizona (2019-2022) were spent under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Together, they finished with a 28-37-1 record and one playoff appearance. When he arrived in Arizona, Joseph inherited a unit that ranked No. 26 in points allowed the previous year. By his final year, they had improved to No. 11.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, both of whom have previous head coaching experience, are lukewarm co-favorites to land the gig at +500 odds, but there’s really nothing separating them from the rest of the leading candidates.

The Denver Broncos were given several days off following their No. 1 seed-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. They’ll return to practice later this week for some intrasquad work before finding out their divisional round opponent this weekend and then diving into game-planning preparation.

The NFL's head coach hiring cycle was turned on its head last week when the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh. While the hourglass on his time in Baltimore ran out, Harbaugh instantly became the top candidate on the market for the remaining seven teams looking to fill a head coaching vacancy.