Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph may have won by losing.
The candidate for multiple head-coaching jobs has an advantage over assistant coaches whose teams are still playing, since Joseph (unlike the likes of Dave Toub, Kyle Shanahan, and Josh McDaniels, to name a few) can be hired now.
Joseph’s first opportunity comes, as expected, with the Broncos. He’s one of three primary candidates to succeed Gary Kubiak, and the reality is that his ability to be hired now gives him an edge. Especially if other teams interested in Joseph ramp up their pursuit of him.
The Broncos ultimately want someone who will keep the defense intact and fix the offense. The reported intent to bring former Broncos offensive coordinator and Chargers coach Mike McCoy back to Denver may address the latter point. As to the former, one source with knowledge of the source recently took issue with the notion that Joseph automatically would move on from defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, promoting current Broncos defensive backs coach Joe Woods into the job. Phillips remains on the radar screen in Denver, and the desire for continuity applies across the board.
Hiring Joseph would be similar to Pittsburgh’s decision to hire Mike Tomlin a decade ago. Tomlin, a 4-3 defensive expert, stuck with Dick LeBeau and the 3-4 defense. Joseph, armed with a plan for improving the offense, could help ensure that some of the rifts that emerged from time to time between the two sides of the ball won’t happen moving forward.