Cardinals Plan to Part Ways With Defensive Coordinator, per Report

Arizona reportedly intends to release the longtime assistant after four seasons.

On the heels of hiring a new head coach, the Cardinals reportedly informed Vance Joseph on Thursday of their intention to “release” the defensive coordinator from his contract, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. 

Thursday’s news follows the hiring of former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as head coach on Tuesday. During his introductory press conference Thursday afternoon, Gannon told reporters he planned to talk to Joseph, 50, later in the day to see if the longtime assistant’s vision “blends” with his before evaluating next steps.

While Arizona has yet to announce whether it will move on from Joseph, who also interviewed for the head coaching position, it would mark the latest move amid a host of changes since the club fired coach Kliff Kingsbury on Jan. 9. Joseph joined Kingsbury’s staff in 2019 following a two-year stint as the Broncos head coach.

The 2022 season saw the Cardinals (4–13) struggle as a whole, with the defense—anchored by J.J. Watt, who has retired—ranking 21st in total defense (348.9) and 31st in scoring (26.4). In the previous three seasons, Arizona’s defense finished inside the top-15 in total defense and scoring twice, ranking 32nd, 13th and 11th, and 28th, 12th and 11th, respectively.

With his time in Arizona seemingly coming to an end, Joseph is expected to draw interest from other teams with DC vacancies. The Eagles and Broncos are reportedly interested in interviewing Joseph, per Anderson.    

In addition to possibly looking for a DC, the Cardinals are currently seeking to hire an offensive coordinator to fill the void left by Kingsbury, who also handled offensive playcalling duties. Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell and Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas are reportedly names considered to be in the running for the position.