
If and when the Ravens’ Eric DeCosta calls Sean Payton on Vance Joseph — or Giants GM Joe Schoen, or Raiders GM John Spytek, or one of six organizations pursuing the Broncos’ defensive coordinator for a head-coaching gig — Payton will tell them of a man who has a presence, now. He will tell them that they’re looking for a leader, and that the 53-year-old Joseph has a command. A gravitas, important in this age, earned with time. Many in this business don’t get it right on the first go-around, and Joseph certainly didn’t in his two-year run in 2017 and ’18; instead, he built this runway back to a head coach job by returning to the scene of his failure and crafting one of the best defenses in the NFL. “Having had that opportunity and now come back full-circle, he’s going to be successful,” Payton said on Joseph Friday. “It’s not a matter of if,” Payton continued, a few sentences later. “It’s when, and who. I think it’s going to happen. And when that time comes, there’ll be 110 people on the other side of those doors super excited.” It was a glowing endorsement from the Broncos’ head man. If Payton delivers that same glowing endorsement on Joseph to any organization that calls his line, though, Denver may soon not have a defensive coordinator. That’d be less complicated if the Broncos’ man waiting in the wings, Jim Leonhard, wasn’t getting his own dosage of interest elsewhere — as Dallas…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.