The Broncos have set out to compile a well-rounded group of head coaching candidates to replace John Fox. As the Broncos made numerous calls and gathered information, they discovered Vance Joseph is a potential rising star among the NFL coaching ranks.
The Broncos will interview Joseph for their head coaching position, according to two NFL sources.
Colorado football fans will remember Joseph as a backup quarterback to Darian Hagan in 1990-91, then to Kordell Stewart in 1993 before switching to defensive back in 1994. He played defensive back for two years in the NFL, then started coaching with CU before breaking into the NFL as a defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.
Joseph, 42, has also coached defensive backs for the Houston Texans and Bengals. While most head coaching candidates make the step from the coordinator position, it is not unprecedented for position coaches to be hired as head coaches. Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, Kansas City’s Andy Reid and San Francisco’s Jim Tomsula all got their first head coaching gigs directly from position coach.
