Former Broncos tackle Ryan Harris expressed plenty of displeasure Monday about Vance Joseph failing to land an NFL head position.

“It’s a crime that Vance Joseph did not get a head-coaching position, especially when there are far less proven coaches that did get head-coaching jobs,’’ Harris said in a phone interview.

Joseph has been Denver’s defensive coordinator the past three seasons, with the Broncos in 2025 being No. 2 in the NFL in total defense and No. 3 in scoring defense. Joseph was previously an NFL head coach with Denver from 2017-18, going 11-21.

Of the 10 NFL openings for head coaches, Joseph had remote interviews for six jobs in early January. But he did not have any second interviews. Nine positions have been filled and sources have said that Klint Kubiak, now Seattle’s offensive coordinator, will be hired by Las Vegas after the Seahawks face New England in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

Harris played for the Broncos from 2007-10 and in 2015 and was with Houston from 2012-13, seasons that Joseph was the Texans’ defensive backs coach. Harris is now an NFL analyst and will co-host the Super Bowl pregame and halftime shows with Scott Graham on Westwood One radio.

Harris said “there’s no way with 10 NFL jobs open” that Joseph, 53, shouldn’t have gotten one of them. Harris during Joseph’s first three seasons in Denver served as the television analyst for Broncos preseason games.

Among new NFL head coaches in place, Harris called Joseph more qualified than Arizona’s Mike LaFleur, Buffalo’s Joe Brady, Cleveland’s Todd Monken and Miami’s Jeff Hafley. None before had been an NFL head coach, although Monken was Southern Mississippi’s head coach from 2013-15 and Hafley headed Boston College from 2020-23.

Harris called the move to hire Hafley “a crazy one to me.” Hafley, 46, was Green Bay’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons, with the Packers in 2025 being No. 12 in the NFL in total defense and No. 11 in scoring defense.

Of the Brady move, Harris said he had “no idea what that was about.” Brady, 36, was offensive coordinator the past two seasons with Buffalo, which included the Bills in 2025 being No. 4 in the NFL in both total and scoring offense.

Joseph and Harris are both Black. Harris addressed the NFL’s Rooney Rule that requires teams to interview at least two external diverse candidates for an opening for head coach. Of the 10 coaches getting jobs in this hiring cycle, the only minority is Tennessee’s Robert Saleh, who is an Arab American of Lebanese descent. Saleh, a former New York Jets head coach, was most recently San Francisco’s defensive coordinator.

“The Rooney Rule has great intentions but the adoption I think has been corrupted, and it just didn’t lead to this cycle having African-American coaches (hired) in a league that is (about 70%) African American,’’ Harris said.

Practice squad players become free agents

Ten players who finished the season on the Broncos’ practice squad became street free agents Monday, including wide receivers Michael Bandy and Elijah Moore and tight end Marcedes Lewis.

The Denver Gazette reported last week that Bandy, who got into four games during the regular season, had been offered a futures deal by Denver. But Bandy who had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, has been looking into at least two other offers.

Moore played in nine games in 2025 for Buffalo before being waived and signing with Denver’s practice squad Dec. 4. His only action for the Broncos came in the AFC Championship Game, when he caught one pass for 4 yards in a 10-7 loss to New England on Jan. 25.

Lewis, 41, got into five Denver games during the regular season. He completed his 20th NFL season.

Also becoming free agents were wide receivers Brandon Johnson and Kyrese Rowan, tackle Geron Christian, quarterback Ben DiNucci, defensive back Tanner McCalister, tight end Patrick Murtagh and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell. Turner-Yell finished the season on the practice squad injured list.

Of the 17 players to finish the season on their active practice squad, the Broncos have signed seven to future contracts and wide receiver A.T. Perry was allowed last week to sign a futures deal with Pittsburgh. Overall, Denver has signed 12 players so far to futures contracts.

All the players who became free agents Monday can sign immediately with any team.

Plummer excited for Kubiak

When Jake Plummer was a Broncos quarterback from 2003-06, he had Gary Kubiak as his offensive coordinator his first three seasons. Now he’s excited to see Kubiak’s son soon to become the Raiders’ head coach.

“Obviously, I loved his dad,’’ Plummer said. “Gary was a great coach and he has taught his son pretty well how to get it done.”

Plummer said he will be “rooting for (Klint Kubiak) to do well” in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks.

Plummer remembers Klint, 38, being at practices when he played for the Broncos. Klint played at Regis Jesuit High School before becoming a safety at Colorado State from 2005-09.

“He was a great kid,’’ Plummer said of when he played for Denver. “He was just getting done with high school and went on to Colorado State and had a great career there. I’d see him around a lot. Then when he was working with the Broncos, it was always fun to see him.”

Klint was a Broncos offensive assistant from 2016-18, his first season spent when Gary was head coach and the next two years with Joseph in charge. He later was Denver’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022.