The new look Buffalo Bills coaching staff continues to take shape with another significant addition from rookie head coach Joe Brady.
The Buffalo Bills are hiring Denver Broncos assistant coach/defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard to be their new defensive coordinator, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday morning.
Leonhard joins new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., hired Friday, as Brady’s top two coaches.
The 43-year-old former NFL defensive end is quickly rising in the coaching world, having joined the Broncos staff as the defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator in 2024 before getting the assistant head coaching nod in 2025. A 10-year NFL player, Leonhard played four seasons totaling 200 carries at safety and security.
After helping the Broncos reach the 2025 AFC Championship game, that included an overtime victory over the Bills in the divisional round. Now, Leonhard is tasked with helping fulfill Buffalo’s aspirations of reaching the Super Bowl.
As Brady begins his first season as an NFL head coach, Leonhard will assume the NFL DC role for the first time, replacing Bobby Babich, the team’s defensive coordinator for the last two years, in the title and also filling the vacancy left by former head coach Sean McDermott, who handled the team’s defensive role for ten years.
Leonhard has valuable experience from his days at Wisconsin, where he served as the Badgers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-2022 and served as the team’s interim head coach in his final year.
After being instrumental in the rise of 2024 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and the Broncos’ No. 2 overall defensive pick in 2025, Leonhard also had DC interviews with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets, but is headed back to Buffalo.