The Buffalo Bills have been hard at work early in the offseason. After firing head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills ended up deciding to promote their offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, to replace McDermott as the team’s new head coach. Now, Brady has begun filling out his coaching staff, as he needs to find a new offensive and defensive coordinator.
On Friday morning, Brady crossed off one big item on his to-do list when he hired Denver Broncos‘ senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr. to be his new offensive coordinator. Reports indicate Brady wants to poach another coach from the Broncos, defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, to be his defensive coordinator, but the team may end up losing him to the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens Interview Jim Leonhard for Defensive Coordinator Opening
Brady’s elevation from offensive coordinator to head coach was a bit of a surprise, but it’s clear he has a strong rapport with star quarterback Josh Allen, and the team wants to see what he’s capable of as a leader of the whole team, not just the offense. Hiring Carmichael, who Brady worked with previously during their time on the New Orleans Saints, was widely met with positive reviews.
Before Brady locked in on Carmichael as his offensive coordinator, he began making an aggressive pursuit of Leonhard, who is one of the hottest defensive coordinator candidates in the league currently. Leonhard is widely believed to have played a big role in helping turn the Broncos’ defense into one of the most feared units in the NFL over the past two seasons.
While Buffalo is a sensible landing spot for Leonhard, given that he spent time with the franchise during his playing days, there is a lot of competition for his services. That includes Baltimore, who Leonhard also played for during his time in the NFL. Leonhard reportedly will interview for the Ravens’ defensive coordinator job on Friday, which could eventually lead to the Bills missing out on him.
“Broncos defensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach Jim Leonhard is believed to be interviewing for the Ravens defensive coordinator job today, source said. Leonhard also has interest from the Bills,” Ian Rapoport reported in a post on X.
Bills Hoping Jim Leonhard Doesn’t Land with Ravens
GettyBroncos’ defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard has emerged as the Bills’ top defensive coordinator target
Considering how no other candidates have really emerged in the Bills’ search for a defensive coordinator, that seems to indicate that Leonhard is Brady’s preferred hire. With several other teams in the running, though, that is going to make things even more difficult for Buffalo, even though it is considered a highly attractive landing spot for coaches.
As a result, the Bills are going to be keeping close tabs on Leonhard’s interview with the Ravens. Considering how many options he has on his plate right now, it seems unlikely he’s going to make a split decision on his future, but he could latch on with a new team at any point from here on out. Not landing Leonhard would be a tough blow for Buffalo, and it would force Brady to explore other options for this key role on his coaching staff.
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