New Bills' Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard Has One Job in 2026

From 1988-93, the Buffalo Bills were a playoff participant in each of those seasons. They lost the AFC title game to the Cincinnati Bengals that first year and a season later fell short at Cleveland in the divisional round. The team would go onto make an NFL-record four straight Super Bowl appearances—albeit never winning a Lombardi Trophy.

These days, the franchise in the midst of seven consecutive trips to the postseason, a franchise reord and the longest-active streak in the league. On the down side, the Bills have yet to get back to the Super Bowl.

Bills’ defense was offensive come playoff time

Sean McDermott at Denver — Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott during the second quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

One of the biggest issues in the playoffs as of late were the performance of the defenses when Sean McDermott was head coach. He led the team to the postseason in eight of his nine years as the club’s sideline leader. Known for his defensive prowess, this side of the ball often disappointed come playoff time.

BIlls at Broncos — Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'davious White has his arm wrapped around Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. as Mims attempts to catch the pass during overtime at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. White was called for pass interference. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This year’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos at Denver in the AFC divisional round marked the fifth time that the Bills allowed at least 30 points in the 16 playoff games under McDermott. It also marked the third time that the club came up short in OT in a postseason game under his guidance.

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There are more numbers. In those 16 playoff contests, the Bills allowed 23.7 points per contest, as well as an astounding 397.3 total yards per game. That would include a disappointing 129.7 rushing yards per contest. In those outings, Buffalo has given up 42 offensive touchdowns—29 through the air. While McDermott’s defenders managed a somewhat-respectable 32 sacks in those games, there have been just 17 takeaways in those 16 contests. Not surprisingly, the team owned an 8-8 record in those games.

Brandon Beane, president of football operations and general manager for the Buffalo BIlls, and head coach Joe Brady take turns answering questions during a press conference that introduced Brady as the new head coach in Orchard Park on Jan. 29, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Bills’ defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has tall task ahead

So what’s the bottom line here? Although the Bills’ new head coach is promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, he may actually be under less pressure than new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. He spent the past two seasons as a member of Sean Payton’s coaching staff in Denver. He spoke earlier this week about his newest challenge.

“There’s gonna be change,” said Leonard (via David Benjamin De Cristofaro of Bills Wire). “It’s been the same system for a long time here. It wasn’t all broken. It doesn’t all need to be thrown out. There’s elements that we’ll be able to build off of. There’s a comfort level from players that you want to maintain. And this is something that will continue to evolve. It might look a lot different in year two than year one, and that’s OK.”

What must really look different is how this unit has looked come the playoffs in recent seasons. And with the Bills taking a back seat to the New England Patriots in 2025, reaching the postseason is certainly a taller task these days.