Vance Joseph spent four seasons running Arizona’s defense, and the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator walks back into State Farm Stadium on Sunday with a better case for a head-coaching job than he has had in years. Zach Allen, who played for him in the desert, said this week he wants to stay with Joseph for good.
Broncos sources believe Joseph has more than proven himself worthy of a second shot, The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones reported Saturday. Jones added that Denver’s offense has hit a low never before reached under Sean Payton. Bo Nix has 230 passing yards over the last two games combined, and the Broncos rank 26th in scoring at 19.0 points per game. They are 4-2 anyway.
Zach Allen leads a deep defense
Allen has 4.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits through six games. His 26 pressures rank first among 130 interior defenders, and his 77.3 overall grade ranks ninth, according to his PFF player page. We built our bold predictions around his return to Arizona for a reason.
He has plenty of help. Nik Bonitto has 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, and Ja’Quan McMillian has two sacks and the overtime interception that beat Seattle with Pat Surtain II limited to four games. Denver had five sacks and three takeaways in that 17-14 win, and Payton didn’t hold back afterward. “Defensively, we were magnificent,” he told reporters after the game. Linebacker Justin Strnad called Joseph “always elite at what he does.”
Callers on Denver sports radio have spent the week arguing about benching Nix. Joseph’s group has allowed 18.8 points per game since a 31-10 loss in Kansas City to open the season. Jones has Denver sixth in points allowed per game since that opener, and Pro Football Reference has the Broncos 10th for the full season after they finished third in both 2024 and 2025.
That track record already had Joseph in five head-coaching interviews last cycle, including Arizona, Tennessee and the Giants. His first run in Denver ended at 11-21 over two seasons in 2017 and 2018, and that record has followed him. Payton has praised his “command of the room” and pledged his support. “I’ll do anything and everything I can to help him,” Payton told The Denver Gazette in June. Another strong game against the team that passed on him would only add to the case.
More on the Denver Broncos
- 3 Bold Predictions in Zach Allen’s Return as the Broncos Square Off With the Cardinals
- Zach Allen Admits He Wants to Be With Vance Joseph Forever as the Broncos Head Back to Arizona
- NFL Analyst Bets on a Bo Nix Bounce-Back Against a Cardinals Defense That Feeds Quarterbacks
- Sean Payton Should Make Jonah Coleman the Broncos’ Lead Back Over J.K. Dobbins in Week 7
