Joe Brady lays out plan for Buffalo Bills' new defensive coordinator

One of the more revealing moments of Joe Brady’s introductory press conference on Thursday was when the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach highlighted what the team will be looking for in its next defensive coordinator.

After former DC Bobby Babich left the organization to take a job with the Green Bay Packers, Brady will now be in search of a new defensive play-caller. And while at the microphone, he presented a plan of attack as the team pursues its next hire.

Joe Brady, Bobby Babich — Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, left, and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich talk before the start of the final training camp session. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His goal

In deciding on a new defensive coordinator, Brady says he will rely on his own experience calling plays on the offensive side of the ball to provide him the proper perspective needed to land the right man for the job.

“You understand what keeps you up at night,” he said. “Nowadays, the best defenses and the best minds are continuous all the way through the play call, putting stress on coordinators. No longer are you able to just know where guys are going to be, when they’re going to be there. And I think that’s a key element of what I’m looking for in a defense.”

He added. “Making sure that we have the versatility to be able to change personnel, getting a lot of different people in different spots, similar to what we do offensively.

“I don’t believe offensive football and defensive football should have different mindsets. We can understand, as we approach a game plan, that there is a way to win every game as long as we have versatility and different types of pieces that we can find that way to win and put stress on both the offense and the defense.”

MORE: Bills' new head coach Joe Brady gets emotional thanking predecessor Sean McDermott

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What they’re replacing

The Bills will not only be replacing Babich but also former head coach Sean McDermott’s defensive mind, which served as the architect of Buffalo’s resistance over the past several seasons. This past year, the Bills posted an adequate EPA per-play allowed of -0.08, ranking 12th-best in the league. They also allowed the 12th-fewest points per game (21.5) in the NFL this season, which was reasonable.

But when it came down to it, the Bills’ performance in two key phases of the game — run support and pass rush — was severely lacking. Buffalo finished 27th in the league in pass rush win rate (31%) and 22nd in the league in run stop win rate, per ESPN.

Moving forward, the Bills will be searching for a more chaos-inducing style of play, one that they hope will help them take the next step in the postseason and advance to a Super Bowl. Thus far, Buffalo has been linked to one candidate in particular, Denver Broncos defensive passing game coordinator/assistant head coach Jim Leonhard, who is reportedly in strong consideration to take the job.

Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard arrives before a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

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