Bills Central

Buffalo Bills hire returning coach as defensive staff under Joe Brady takes shape

The defensive assistant previously coached with the Bills under former head coach Sean McDermott.
Alex Brasky|
John Egorugwu, New York Giants inside linebackers coach, talks to reporters before mandatory minicamp at the Giants training center in East Rutherford on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
John Egorugwu, New York Giants inside linebackers coach, talks to reporters before mandatory minicamp at the Giants training center in East Rutherford on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The Buffalo Bills are bringing in a familiar name to fulfill one of the vacancies on the team’s defensive coaching staff.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are set to hire inside linebackers coach John Egorugwu to serve under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

RELATED: Another coach leaves Buffalo Bills as team transitions to three new coordinators

John Egorugwu
Inside linebacker coach John Egorugwu and Abdul Carter during practice at Giants Rookie Minicamp. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming back

Egorugwu will make his return to the Bills organization, as he was previously the team’s defensive quality control coach during former head coach Sean McDermott’s first season in 2017. He then had assistant linebackers coach added to his resume from 2018 to 2020 under McDermott and former defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

The 39-year-old has spent the past four seasons with the New York Giants, with his season between professional jobs being spent at the collegiate level with Vanderbilt University. Before his time with the Bills and Giants, he spent the first two seasons of his 10-year NFL coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens as a staff assistant.

MORE: Joe Brady explains reasons Buffalo Bills hired three new coordinators

John Egorugwu
From left linebackers coach John Egorugwu, defensive ends coach Jovan Haye, and head coach Clark Lea celebrate as their defense stops Tennessee on a fourth down near the end zone in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Taking shape

The Bills' coaching staff is starting to fill out under first-year head coach Joe Brady. With Leonhard and Egorugwu reportedly to be joined by outside LBs coach Bobby April III and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai on the defensive side of the ball, while special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and offensive line coach Pat Meyer have also reportedly joined the franchise.

April III and Valai are other recent additions to the list of coaches the Bills have added under Brady, with April III joining Egorugwu as those who are set to enter their second stints with the team.

April III was previously the Bills’ linebackers coach during the 2015 and 2016 seasons under former head coach Rex Ryan. He since moved to the collegiate level, where he was Leonhard’s assistant at the University of Wisconsin before becoming Stanford University's defensive coordinator for the past three years. April III is the son of former Bills special teams coach Bobby April.

Valai has made various stops as a college coach, including the University of Oklahoma, where he has been the co-defensive coordinator since 2022.

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Alex Brasky
ALEX BRASKY

Alex Brasky is editor of Bills Digest and host of the Buffalo Pregame podcast. He has been on the Bills beat the past six seasons and now joins Sports Illustrated hoping to expand his coverage of Buffalo’s favorite football team.

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