The Buffalo Bills made a big hire at defensive coordinator, snagging a highly sought-after coach to lead the unit.
The Buffalo Bills now have their new head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator in place. After announcing that Pete Carmichael would be taking the offensive coordinator role, the Bills wasted no time finding their leader on the defensive side of the ball – and they raided another member of the Denver Broncos’ staff. Buffalo is hiring Broncos defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Leonhard is also a former Bills player, beginning his 10-year NFL career as an undrafted free agent in Buffalo. He was a sought-after coach this hiring cycle, and new coach Joe Brady was able to snag a coveted rising star.
Leonhard also interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens for their defensive coordinator openings. He comes over from a Broncos defense that posted 68 sacks and allowed the second-fewest yards per game. He has been in that role since 2024 and additionally coached cornerbacks. Leonhard came over to the NFL from Illinois, where he spent one season as a senior football analyst, and coached at Wisconsin from 2016-2022 where he became the defensive coordinator after his first season and spent part of 2022 as interim head coach.
Here is the full story from Bills Roundtable writer Mike Straw on the new defensive era in Buffalo.
Leonhard also moved up to assistant head coach in his final season with the Broncos under head coach Sean Payton. This will be Leonhard’s first opportunity at the NFL level to mold a defense of his own and will look to shape a better run defense in particular. While Leonhard and Brady haven’t worked together on a coaching staff, both spent time under Payton.