- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,177
- Reaction score
- 59
The Buffalo Bills have found their new defensive coordinator who'll serve on Joe Brady's staff.
The team announced Jim Leonhard will be their next DC, who most recently was the defensive backs coach, pass game coordinator, and assistant head coach for the Denver Broncos.
Before joining the Broncos in 2024, Leonhard was the defensive coordinator for the University of Wisconsin from 2017-2021 where his Badgers fielded a top-five defense in the nation in four of the five seasons.
Brady is happy to have Leonhard come in and run his defense:
"Jim's vision for what he wants from our defense and the personality they play with is the exact style of what I was looking for from a defensive coordinator," Brady said on Saturday. "He is super intelligent, a great communicator, and highly regarded in this league. He started out as a rookie free agent with the Bills and ended up playing 10 years in the NFL. That same perseverance and mindset have carried over into his coaching career. We couldn’t be happier to get him back to Buffalo.”
After playing his college ball at Wisconsin, Leonhard made the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played three seasons in Buffalo before going on to make a big impact for the Ravens, playing alongside safety Ed Reed in 2008, and then for Rex Ryan's best Jets teams from 2009-2011. He returned to Buffalo in 2013 and started seven games, recording a career-high four interceptions.
In all, the 43-year old played three years at Wisconsin, 10 years in the NFL, coached for eight years in college, and now in just his third year as a coach in the NFL has already moved up to defensive coordinator.
He'll have big shoes to fill in replacing Sean McDermott calling the defense, but the team is ready for a fresh voice and a new direction.
In 2025, the Broncos boasted the league's number-two defense and led the league by a large margin in sacks with 68. Leonhard now brings his knowledge to the Bills defense, which will be in a transition phase this offseason as the roster adjusts to the new, incoming scheme.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Buffalo Bills name Jim Leonhard defensive coordinator
Continue reading...
The team announced Jim Leonhard will be their next DC, who most recently was the defensive backs coach, pass game coordinator, and assistant head coach for the Denver Broncos.
Before joining the Broncos in 2024, Leonhard was the defensive coordinator for the University of Wisconsin from 2017-2021 where his Badgers fielded a top-five defense in the nation in four of the five seasons.
Brady is happy to have Leonhard come in and run his defense:
"Jim's vision for what he wants from our defense and the personality they play with is the exact style of what I was looking for from a defensive coordinator," Brady said on Saturday. "He is super intelligent, a great communicator, and highly regarded in this league. He started out as a rookie free agent with the Bills and ended up playing 10 years in the NFL. That same perseverance and mindset have carried over into his coaching career. We couldn’t be happier to get him back to Buffalo.”
After playing his college ball at Wisconsin, Leonhard made the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played three seasons in Buffalo before going on to make a big impact for the Ravens, playing alongside safety Ed Reed in 2008, and then for Rex Ryan's best Jets teams from 2009-2011. He returned to Buffalo in 2013 and started seven games, recording a career-high four interceptions.
In all, the 43-year old played three years at Wisconsin, 10 years in the NFL, coached for eight years in college, and now in just his third year as a coach in the NFL has already moved up to defensive coordinator.
He'll have big shoes to fill in replacing Sean McDermott calling the defense, but the team is ready for a fresh voice and a new direction.
In 2025, the Broncos boasted the league's number-two defense and led the league by a large margin in sacks with 68. Leonhard now brings his knowledge to the Bills defense, which will be in a transition phase this offseason as the roster adjusts to the new, incoming scheme.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Buffalo Bills name Jim Leonhard defensive coordinator
Continue reading...
