Vance Joseph may stay with the Denver Broncos after all.

That, an accidental possible tell from defensive end Jonathon Cooper during an end-of-year press conference.

Meanwhile, Jim Leonhard, who would likely replace Joseph, could leave for Buffalo.

Vance Joseph may stay with Denver Broncos

Vance Joseph has been a hot commodity this coaching cycle, as he interviewed with six teams for their head coaching vacancies.

Rewind to 2017, the Joseph was the head coach for the Broncos. He went 11-21 as the head man in Denver, two of the worst seasons in Broncos history.

And while it seemed like this was the time for Joseph to become a head coach again, it seems Joseph may stay with the Denver Broncos after all.

Defensive end Jonathon Cooper seems to have let it slip during his end of year presser that Joseph isn’t going anywhere.

“He’s the best DC I’ve had, you know. And I’m happy that he’s… um, I don’t know exactly what to say ‘cause I don’t know all that he’s said,” Cooper caught himself. “But he’s a great coach.”

Happy he’s not leaving? That seems to be what Cooper was going to say.

Although, it should be noted that he could’ve been saying, “Happy that he’s becoming a head coach again.” Even if that seems unlikely.

Also of note, four of the six positions Joseph interviewed for have been filled.

The Giants hired John Harbaugh, as the best hire of the cycle. Tennessee chose Robert Saleh. The Falcons went with former Browns head man Kevin Stefanski. And Baltimore hired former Harbaugh assistant Jesse Minter. That leaves just the Cardinals and the Raiders as possibilities for Denver’s current defensive coordinator.

Losing Vance Joseph would be a big deal for the Broncos. He’s helped the unit go from 27th in points allowed in 2023 to 3rd-best the last two years in a row. Plus, the group set franchise records for sacks in back-to-back seasons; 62 last year, 68 this year. He knows how to pressure the opposing quarterback and has out-coached Andy Reid, too.

Jim Leonhard a leading DC candidate in Buffalo

If Joseph were to leave, Jim Leonhard would be the man likely to take his defensive coordinator job in Denver.

However, according to Adam Schefter, Leonhard is the leading candidate at DC in Buffalo.

The Bills announced on Tuesday that Joe Brady, the team’s former offensive coordinator, is now the head coach. He’s taking over the Sean McDermott who was fired right after the Broncos beat the Bills in the Divisional Round. Brady beat out candidates including Mike McDaniel—who went to the Chargers to be their OC—and Philip Rivers, among others.

According to Nate Tice, the Bills signing Leonhard “would be a major coup.”

the DC and OL coach hires are where my attention immediately went after the Brady hiring news. Hiring Leonhard would be a major coup.

— Nate Tice (@natetice.bsky.social) 2026-01-27T20:27:47.551Z

Leonhard also interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys open DC position, but Christian Parker, formerly of the Eagles, was hired there last week. Leonhard has been the Broncos defensive pass game coordinator the last two seasons, and he has Pat Surtain earning Defensive Player of the Year on his resume.