Joseph, Marshall try to hang on to their jobs

Coach Vance Joseph and linebacker Brandon Marshall are fighting for their jobs in Denver, with no guarantee of being employed by the Broncos beyond this season.

While winning always boosts job security, the agendas of a coach on the hot seat and a player recovering from a chronic injury are as different as the challenges facing Joseph and Marshall. That’s why chemistry is fragile and tension can be high within the locker room of an NFL team on the brink of playoff elimination.

The next loss on Denver’s schedule might well be an elimination game for Joseph, whose career record of 11-18 with the Broncos probably can’t afford many more dings if he wants to retain this gig in 2019. So as Joseph prepares to play Cleveland, the embattled coach has sent a not-so-subtle message to the walking wounded on his roster: All hands on deck.

“No one’s totally healthy this time of year,” Joseph said Wednesday. “You have to want to get back on the field.”

Is Joseph talking to Marshall, who has missed five straight games with a bone bruise in his knee? No doubt.

Football, however, is more than a game to the veteran linebacker. It’s his business, and Marshall is aware the Broncos could save $5 million next season if they part ways with him.

“You have to look at it as a business,” Marshall said. “We would all love football to be that backyard game we used to play in high school and there was no politics involved. But there’s a lot of politics. So you have to put that into consideration when you make a decision: Do I need to come back early, even though I’m hurting? Or do I need to sit out?”

In a sport romanticized as the ultimate tough-guy contest, there’s a fine line in doing what’s