Bills To Hire Jim Leonhard As DC
After starting his NFL playing career in Buffalo in 2005, Jim Leonhard is headed back to western New York. The Bills are expected to hire the 43-year-old as their defensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Leonhard spent the last two seasons in Denver as their defensive pass game coordinator. He additionally held the title of defensive backs coach in 2024 and assistant head coach in 2025. In that time, the Broncos defense has been one of the best in the NFL, ranking second in yards per attempt last year and leading the league this past season. He is the team’s second assistant to join Joe Brady‘s new staff in Buffalo; Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael accepted a job as the Bills’ new offensive coordinator earlier this week.
Leonard has now completed a remarkable rise from walk-on safety at the University of Wisconsin to NFL defensive coordinator. Despite three straight All-Big Ten nods to end his college career – and a strong pedigree as a returner – Leonhard went undrafted in 2005. He signed with the Bills and made the 53-man roster, kicking off a decade-long career that featured stints with five other teams.
Among them were the Broncos, who gave Leonhard his first NFL coaching job, and the Ravens, who requested to interview him for their defensive coordinator vacancy. He also interviewed with the Cowboys, Chargers, and Jets, but they all went with other candidates. Instead, he will join Brady in Buffalo as the play-caller for a Bills defense that was one of the league’s best from 2021 to 2023 but faltered in the last two years.
The Bills’ coaching jobs were viewed as some of the most desirable in the league due to the franchise’s recent success and the presence of star quarterback Josh Allen. But a closer look at the roster reveals significant holes. The defensive line features only two proven impact players in Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver, veteran linebackers Matt Milano and Joey Bosa are set to hit free agency, and the secondary either needs more veteran depth or some development from their younger players.
Leonhard can certainly address that final issue right away. A number of Broncos defensive backs have taken significant steps forward under Leonhard, including cornerbacks Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian. Safety Talanoa Hufanga earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2025, his first year in Denver, and Patrick Surtain won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
Leonhard starting his coaching career at his alma mater in 2016. After a year as defensive backs coach, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and eventually served as the interim head coach in 2022. He then spent a year at Illinois as an analyst before joining Sean Payton‘s staff in Denver.
Latest On Bills’ Joe Brady Promotion
Buffalo’s latest early playoff exit led to the firing of long-tenured head coach Sean McDermott, but after interviewing nine candidates for the job, the team stayed in-house to replace him. Joe Brady, McDermott’s offensive coordinator for the past two-plus years, became the Bills’ head coach on Tuesday.
Although Brady carries no head coaching experience, the Bills believe they found a “CEO of their football operation” in the 36-year-old, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says. Indeed, Brady won the Bills over during the “CEO portion” of his interview, Jordan Schultz reports.
“When we started this process, we were looking for a CEO-type head coach,” said general manager Brandon Beane, who added that Brady will provide a “fresh, new vision for the Buffalo Bills” (via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News).
As he adjusts to his CEO position, Brady will continue to call the offensive plays in 2026. Asked how he’ll handle juggling both roles, Brady said he learned from former boss Sean Payton, whom he assisted in New Orleans from 2017-18.
“I’ve been in the room and seen how his day-to-day goes, and seen what that looks like from a game-planning standpoint,” Brady told One Bills Live. “Being with the defense also, and then, okay, now I can get ready to go call a game … That’s 20-plus years of doing it from Sean Payton, so I’m understanding of that. There’s going to be growing pains with it.”
Less than a week into his head coaching tenure, Brady has already pried two notable assistants from Payton’s staff in Denver. After hiring Pete Carmichael Jr. as his offensive coordinator on Friday, Brady brought in Jim Leonhard as his D-coordinator on Saturday.
Before joining Payton in Denver as an offensive assistant in 2024, Carmichael was his OC with the Saints from 2009-21. Payton, not Carmichael, called the offensive plays during their long-running partnership in New Orleans. Carmichael will now take on a similar role in Buffalo.
The Bills’ Brady-led offense is coming off its second straight top-five finish in points. Quarterback Josh Allen won the MVP award in 2024, Brady’s first full season in charge. Allen took an active role in the Bills’ HC search, sitting in on all interviews, though he wasn’t involved in assembling a list of finalists or the hiring itself, Peter Schrager of ESPN reports. The 29-year-old is fully on board with Brady’s promotion, though (via Syndey Ciano of the team’s website).
“He’s a real human that guys can get behind and understand and play for,” Allen said. “I thought in his interview, the vision that he had for this team … He’s going to continue to keep working hard and trying to find ways for our team now to be put in successful positions.”
AFC East Coaching Updates: Duggan, Dolphins, Bills
New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has worked quickly to fill out his first NFL coaching staff. We’ve reported several confirmed hires, but one addition hasn’t yet been publicly made official. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, it’s believed that former Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan has followed Hafley from Green Bay to Biscayne Bay.
Duggan has been a longtime Hafley disciple. After serving as a linebackers coach at Hawai’i and UMass, Duggan took a graduate assistant position at Ohio State, where Hafley was co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach. When Hafley was named head coach at Boston College, Duggan followed, getting promoted to linebackers coach and, eventually, adding co-defensive coordinator to his title. When Hafley was hired as defensive coordinator in Green Bay, he brought along Duggan, who served a year as a defensive assistant before being named linebackers coach this past season.
Now, while Duggan’s hire in Miami hasn’t been officially announced, the hire of new Dolphins linebackers coach Al Washington has been, per Jackson. Washington was also on staff with Duggan and Hafley at Ohio State back in 2019. He followed up his tenure with the Buckeyes with a four-year stay as Notre Dame’s defensive line coach. With Washington occupying the LB coach position, though, Duggan’s position in Miami becomes a mystery. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has ventured that Duggan could end up being Hafley’s pick for defensive coordinator. The Dolphins have reportedly only interviewed one candidate for that position, so they may not be able to officially announce Duggan into the job until they’ve satisfied the Rooney Rule.
Here are a few other coaching updates coming out of the AFC East:
- On the offensive side of the ball in Miami, the Dolphins have also hired Matt Applebaum to serve as assistant offensive line coach, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Applebaum was Hafley’s offensive line coach at Boston College for the first two years of Hafley’s four-year tenure. Applebaum then, oddly enough, left the Eagles to accept a job as the Dolphins offensive line coach, his first position coaching role in the NFL. He was let go after only a year at the job, though, and returned to his old position in Chestnut Hill for Hafley’s last year with Boston College, remaining with the team until Hafley called him to Miami. On the other side of the ball, the team also added assistant defensive line coach Chuka Ndulue, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Ndulue made the jump to the NFL ranks of coaching last year in the same position for the Chargers. He represents the minority of coaches on staff in Miami who do not have a working history with Hafley prior to this.
- Lastly, in the AFC East, the Bills are reportedly hiring respected veteran offensive line coach Pat Meyer, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. A former collegiate strength & conditioning coach, Meyer started coaching offensive line in 2008 at Colorado State. He made the jump to the Canadian Football League in 2012 before landing as an assistant offensive line coach with the Bears the following season. After two years in Chicago, he spent another two seasons as an offensive assistant in his first stint with the Bills. That led to his first NFL full-time position coaching job as the Chargers offensive line coach/run game coordinator, a role he performed for three years before a two-year stint as the Panthers OL coach and a four-year stint in Pittsburgh. He returns to Buffalo now to serve as a position coach with the Bills for the first time.
Bills, Packers Request QBs Coach Interview with Cardinals’ Connor Senger
The Bills and Packers both requested to interview Cardinals passing game coordinator Connor Senger for their quarterbacks coach vacancies, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Senger, 30, has worked closely with Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray over the past four seasons. Senger arrived in Arizona in 2022 as a coaching fellow and moved up in each of the last three offseasons. He became a quality control coach in 2022, the assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, and the pass game coordinator in 2025.
The Cardinals’ air attack has struggled for the most of Senger’s time in Arizona, though Murray has only played in 41 games in that span.
Before joining the Cardinals, Senger spent time with a number of college teams. In 2017, began his coaching career at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a Division III program for whom he started at quarterback for the previous two seasons. He worked for two more D-III schools – Carroll and Wisconsin-Whitewater – before a two-year stint at North Dakota State, which preceded his entrance to the NFL.
The jobs in both Buffalo and Green Bay offer the appeal of working with clear face-of-the-franchise quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Jordan Love. The latter has not reached the same heights as the former, but both are under contract through at least 2028. Success as one of the two’s coach could lead to an offensive coordinator by then, if not sooner. To that point, Senger called plays at the East-West Shrine Bowl this week. While that is certainly not the same to a full-time coordinator gig, it shows that Senger is viewed by some as a potential future OC.
Bills To Hire Pete Carmichael Jr. As OC
Just a couple days into his tenure as the Bills’ head coach, Joe Brady has already found his offensive coordinator. The team has agreed to terms with Pete Carmichael Jr., Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Carmichael, who spent the past two years as a senior offensive assistant with the Broncos, has worked with Brady in the past. The two were on Sean Payton‘s staff in New Orleans from 2017-18, when Carmichael was the Saints’ offensive coordinator and Brady served as an offensive assistant.
This will be the second NFL O-coordinator job for the 54-year-old Carmichael, who held the post in New Orleans from 2009-23. Carmichael won’t call the plays in Buffalo, however, as Brady will continue handling those duties in 2026.
Brady has run the Bills’ offense since taking over for the fired Ken Dorsey midway into the 2023 season. The Bills promoted the 36-year-old to head coach on Tuesday to replace the ousted Sean McDermott.
Brady will have a lot on his plate as a rookie head coach, but the hiring of Carmichael will add a trusted and experienced voice to his offensive staff. Carmichael began his NFL career as a tight ends coach and offensive assistant in Cleveland in 2000. He went on to serve in various positions with the then-Redskins and Chargers before Payton, then a rookie HC, tabbed him as the Saints’ quarterbacks coach in 2006.
Carmichael spent the vast majority of his 18-year Saints tenure working with future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. He’ll now join a team with another superstar signal-caller in Josh Allen, who was at the helm of an offense that finished fourth in scoring and yards in 2025. The Bills also had the league’s leading rusher in James Cook, though the receiver position was a problem throughout the campaign.
Slot target Khalil Shakir was the only wideout on the team to reach the 700-yard mark during the season. He continued as the Bills’ most productive option during a two-game playoff run that ended with a 33-30 loss to Carmichael and the Broncos in the divisional round.
The Bills likely expected second-year receiver Keon Coleman, the 33rd pick in 2024, to take a step forward. Instead, though, Coleman caught just 38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. Professionalism has been an issue for Coleman, who was a healthy scratch on four occasions in 2025.
After the firing of McDermott, owner Terry Pegula revealed “the coaching staff pushed to draft Keon.” General manager Brandon Beane then took ownership of the pick in saying it was his decision. Regardless, Coleman’s future in Buffalo seemed in doubt after Pegula publicly called him out. Now, though, it appears the soon-to-be 23-year-old will remain part of the Bills’ receiving corps next season.
“I told Keon when I got hired, the best thing that happened to Keon Coleman was me being his head coach,” Brady said Thursday (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN). “I was one of the ones that stood on the table for Keon Coleman, and I believe in Keon Coleman.”
If we’re to take Brady’s comments at face value, Coleman will be among the players he and Carmichael work with in 2026. Meanwhile, with the loss of Carmichael, Payton and the Broncos are now in position to replace multiple offensive staffers after falling one win shy of a Super Bowl. Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Monday. Bills QBs coach Ronald Curry is among the candidates to become the Broncos’ OC, though it’s unclear if Brady considered him for the same job before he hired Carmichael.
Bills Expect To Exercise TE Dalton Kincaid’s Fifth-Year Option
A first-round pick three years ago, Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is heading into the final guaranteed year of his rookie contract, and Buffalo will soon be faced with the decision of whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option. In an interview yesterday, general manager Brandon Beane indicated that Kincaid’s option would likely be picked up. 
After an impressive rookie season, in which he finished with the second-most receptions on the team (73) and the third-most receiving yards (673), Kincaid has struggled to find that same level of success in Years 2 & 3. A lot of that has been due to injuries that have kept him off the field or even just limited what he could do while on the field. In just three fewer games in his sophomore campaign, the Utah product only caught 44 passes for 448 yards as he dealt with issues in both knees.
In the offseason, then-head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane told Kincaid he needed to improve his strength. He worked with the team’s strength and conditioning coach Will Greenberg towards that goal, but ultimately, he missed one more game in 2025 than he did in the year prior as his PCL tear from 2024 continued to plague him.
Despite the injuries continuing to bother him, Kincaid flashed the talent this year that got him drafted in the first round back in 2023. He caught five touchdown passes in 12 games and then grabbed two more in the postseason. Beane noted Kincaid’s overall influence on the offense besides his personal stat contributions, claiming that the Bills averaged seven more points going in the playoffs with Kincaid on the field and noting that the team was 2-3 in games in which Kincaid did not play.
Beane once again stressed the importance of getting Kincaid healthy and expressed his desire to “armor him” as best they can. Regardless of the injuries, Beane seems to believe that Kincaid’s talent shines through as he claimed he doesn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t pick up Kincaid’s fifth-year option, giving him two more seasons with the Bills.
Bills To Hire Cardinals’ STC Jeff Rodgers
The Bills are expected to hire Cardinals special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers for the same job on Joe Brady’s new staff in Buffalo, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Rodgers, 48, has spent the last eight seasons in Arizona with the added title of assistant head coach for the last seven. He previously served as the special teams coordinator for the Panthers (2010), Broncos (2011-2014), and Bears, (2015-2017). Before that, he worked as a special teams assistant for the 49ers (2003-2007) before his first coordinator gig with at Kansas State.
Rodgers will be replacing Chris Tabor, who was hired by the Bills last offseason after previously working for the Panthers. He overlapped with new head coach Joe Brady in Carolina, but the two will not continue working together in Buffalo. Tabor accepted an offer to be the Dolphins’ new special teams coordinator before Brady was officially name the Bills’ head coach.
Buffalo’s special teams unit received an 88.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2025. Running back Ray Davis received a first-team All-Pro nod as a returner after averaging 30.4 yards on his kick returns, the most in the league. Tabor helped keep the kicking and punting units afloat amid injuries to Matt Prater and Cameron Johnston.
Broncos Interview Ronald Curry For OC
Joe Lombardi is out as Sean Payton‘s non-play-calling OC, and while Davis Webb represents a natural promotion candidate, he remains coveted by teams for roles with more responsibility. Webb remains in the Raiders’ HC race, and the Broncos’ QBs coach is being sought by multiple teams as a play-calling option.
Payton calls the Broncos’ plays, and barring a scenario in which Webb needs to be given the call sheet to be convinced to stay in Denver, that is expected to continue. Payton has begun his second OC search with the Broncos, as the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reports the team has interviewed ex-Saints staffer Ronald Curry. The former NFL wide receiver spent the past two seasons as the Bills’ QBs coach.
The Broncos interviewed Curry for the job that went to Lombardi in 2023. Payton conducted a thin OC search during his first year at the helm, only interviewing Curry and Lombardi. The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one external minority candidate for OC and DC positions. Because Curry is Black, the Broncos are Rooney Rule-compliant.
It would stand to reason a Webb promotion will be strongly considered, and Gabriel confirms he is a strong candidate for the role. But the Broncos are only one of the interested teams. Webb has met twice about the Raiders’ HC job, and the Giants and Ravens have sent him OC interview requests. Webb also met about the Bills’ HC job, which went to Joe Brady earlier this week. Some in the Broncos’ organization believe it will be difficult for the team to retain Webb long term with Payton calling plays, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold. The coming days will put that to a test, as Denver’s QBs coach has seen his stock skyrocket during his three-year tenure.
While Webb has helped mentor Bo Nix, Curry’s first season as Bills QBs coach produced a Josh Allen MVP award. Considering that season came after the Stefon Diggs trade, the honor reflects well on Brady and Curry. The latter interviewed for the Jets’ OC position this week but has otherwise not been connected to any OC jobs since being hired by the Bills.
Curry, 46, was a college quarterback who spent eight seasons as an NFL wideout. He has extensive experience with Payton as well. The Saints employed Curry from 2016-23, with the ex-player rising to QBs coach by Payton’s final season (2021). Coaching New Orleans’ receivers before that, Curry stayed on as QBs coach under Dennis Allen from 2022-23. He interviewed for the New Orleans OC gig — which went to Klint Kubiak — in 2024, moving to Buffalo to work under ex-Saints coworker Brady soon after. Brady being promoted to HC could keep Curry in Buffalo, but that may not be a certainty just yet. For now, he is up for multiple OC positions.
Dolphins To Hire Nathaniel Hackett
Nathaniel Hackett‘s stock took a tumble for a few years, as his disastrous Broncos HC season preceded a Jets OC tenure that brought a demotion. But the second-generation NFL staffer is moving back up the ladder.
After a season back in Green Bay in an analyst role, Hackett will be called upon as a quarterbacks coach. The Dolphins are expected to hire him in this capacity, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano tweets. Hackett worked with new Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley for a season in Green Bay.
Hackett’s arrival may not go over too well in Miami, as few coaches have seen their standing drop more this decade. The former Packers OC was fired 15 games into his Broncos HC tenure, and after landing the Jets’ OC job (due in no small part to the Jets’ interest in bringing Aaron Rodgers to New York), Hackett did not complete that stay as the team’s play-caller. New York demoted Hackett from that role during the 2024 season. Hackett will now work under Dolphins play-caller Bobby Slowik, either coaching Tua Tagovailoa or a to-be-determined QB1 replacement.
The Broncos’ Hackett hire preceded a trade for Russell Wilson. The partnership sputtered, with a host of clunky outings leading to Hackett demoting himself as play-caller. Hackett gave the play sheet to QBs coach Klint Kubiak, but as Wilson exerted tremendous influence in terms of preparation and the nature of the Broncos’ offense, the team fired its coach after 15 games. The Broncos finished last in scoring offense despite authorizing Wilson’s $49MM-per-year extension, but the Jets hired Hackett soon after. Although Hackett delivered on Rodgers becoming receptive to joining the Jets, his stock tanked in the Big Apple.
Hackett’s first season featured mostly Zach Wilson at the controls, and it went bad enough Robert Saleh conducted a stealth search for a veteran staffer who would oversee his OC in 2024. No hire commenced, and Hackett entered the ’24 season as the Jets’ play-caller. Not long after the Jets’ Saleh firing, they removed Hackett from play-calling duties. Wilson is technically still under contract with the Dolphins, but the backup QB’s deal expires in March.
While Hackett was also OC in Buffalo and Jacksonville, his most successful NFL period came as Matt LaFleur‘s non-play-calling OC from 2019-21. The Packers earned three straight playoff byes, and Rodgers won MVP honors in 2020 and ’21. Rodgers has long endorsed Hackett, to the point he is believed to have interceded when Woody Johnson wanted him gone after one Jets OC season. The Dolphins will now entrust Hackett to coach their QBs. Perhaps with no play-calling duties, the Dolphins believe they will see a better version of Hackett than what the Broncos and Jets received.
Miami is also hiring former Green Bay quality control staffer Wendel Davis, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The team is also adding Jahmile Addae as cornerbacks coach, according to ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel. Addae was most recently the Bills’ CBs coach.
Bills QB Josh Allen Undergoes Procedure On Foot
JANUARY 29: When speaking to the media today, Allen revealed (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic) his fifth metatarsal had been broken. Surgery did indeed take place on Monday of this week, Beane noted. A recovery timeline between eight and 10 weeks is now in store, per Wolfe’s colleague Ian Rapoport. As such, Allen should be fully recovered in time for all offseason activities.
JANUARY 22: The Bills’ press conference with owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane drew a lot of headlines on Wednesday, but one piece of information seems to have slipped under the radar.
Beane revealed (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe) that star quarterback Josh Allen may undergo a procedure on his foot this offseason. It is not expected to affect his availability for OTAs.
Allen’s foot injury popped up in Week 17 and sidelined him for multiple practices in Week 18. The issue continued to hamper Allen for the rest of the season, though he did not appear to be playing with any limitations in the playoffs.
The 2024 MVP has not missed a game due to injury since his rookie year. His only absences have been games at the end of the season with the Bills’ playoff qualification and seeding already set.
Allen’s procedure should not alarm anyone in Buffalo. Even if he were to miss any offseason training time as he recovers, it seems extremely unlikely to affect his availability beyond mandatory minicamp.