The Baltimore Ravens shocked the NFL when the fired head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday. Baltimore missed the playoffs after losing to Pittsburgh in Week 18 and the team clearly felt it was the right time to make a change. They wasted little time before bringing in a candidate for an interview.
The Ravens completed an interview with Vance Joseph on Thursday for their vacant head coaching job, the team announced on social media.
Joseph is currently the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are in the playoffs, so normally Joseph would not be able to complete such an interview. But with Denver on a bye week as the No. 1 seed, he found the time to squeeze in an interview.
Joseph is in high demand as a head coaching candidate. He was already scheduled to meet with the Raiders, Cardinals, Giants, and Titans before agreeing to interview with the Ravens.
Denver has one of the best defenses in the NFL this season, so it makes sense that he is a popular candidate. The Broncos only allowed 278.2 yards per game (second best) and 18.3 points per game (third best) during the regular season.
While Denver has some solid players on defense, they are far from a star-studded unit. That suggests that Joseph's scheme and leadership are behind their success.
It is interesting to see the Ravens immediately bring in a defensive-minded head coaching candidate. But Joseph is far from the only candidate in consideration.
Baltimore will also meet with Broncos QB coach Davis Webb on Thursday. Webb is a former quarterback who is thriving as a coach, similar to Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
The Ravens also have plans to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on Sunday. They also put in a request to interview Viking defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Thursday.
Fans must be happy to see their team acting quickly in their search for the team's next head coach.
It will be fascinating to see which candidates the Ravens end up closing in on over the next few weeks.
