The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to hire Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinator under new head coach Joe Brady, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Saturday.
This person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Leonhard has not yet signed a contract. The ESPN network was the first media to announce this agreement.
Leonhard, 43, spent the past two seasons with the Denver Broncos, including last year as the team’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
Leonhard becomes the second member of the Broncos’ coaching staff to join Brady’s team. Pete Carmichael has been hired as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, team officials announced Saturday.
Brady previously worked with Carmichael in New Orleans, but has no direct connection to Leonhard.
The Bills’ season ended two weeks ago with a 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos in the AFC sectional playoffs.
The hiring of Leonhard fills a key position as the Bills move forward under Brady.
Former offensive coordinator of the Bills, Brady takes over from Sean McDermott, fired after nine years of service.
While Brady brings continuity to the Bills’ offense led by quarterback Josh Allen, Leonhard will oversee a unit that was built to fit McDermott’s defensive vision.
Leonhard will replace Bobby Babich, who spent the last two seasons as the Bills’ coordinator before leaving to take the same role with the Green Bay Packers last week.
Injuries and a transition to a younger team led the Bills to seventh in the NFL in yards allowed. However, the team ranked 28th against the ground game and 14th in sacks per pass attempt.
By comparison, the Broncos finished last season with 68 sacks, a total that allowed them to rank first in the NFL for a second consecutive year in this regard.
Leonhard had two separate stints with the Bills during a 10-season career as an NFL defensive back, including the first three between 2005 and 2007.
A product of the University of Wisconsin and an undrafted player, Leonhard finished his career with the Cleveland Browns in 2014.
