Jim Leonhard — Buffalo Bills Defensive Coordinator

First-time defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2026. Ranked among top-10 new coordinators.

Quick Facts

Role: Defensive Coordinator
Team: Buffalo Bills (BUF)
Current holder: (to be filled by ingest — confirm via 2026 season news)
Coaching tree: see Coaching Trees

Background

Former Bills player (UDFA, 4 years in NFL). College coach at Wisconsin and Illinois. Came to Bills from Denver Broncos, where he worked as pass game coordinator the last two seasons and helped build one of the league's best defenses. Also had eight years of college coaching experience.

Scheme and Tendencies

Defensive-minded coach transitioning Bills from McDermott's passive, "don't lose" approach to aggressive, 4-quarter attack style. Installing 3-4 defensive scheme. Bills added new pieces via free agency (Bradley Chubb) and draft (T.J. Sanders, Davison Igbinosun) to support the scheme change. Expected to improve run defense and overall aggressive mentality (per Jim Leonhard lands among league's best new coordinators for 2026 season).

Recent News

(filled in by ingest)

Sources

(receipts)