Bills' Jim Leonhard Getting Hot Seat Buzz Amid Buffalo's Defensive Struggles

An analyst has pointed to Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as one of the coaches around the NFL under the most pressure.

Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard walks off the field after Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University on July 29, 2026 in Pittsford | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills are 5-1 as they enter the bye this week, but that does not mean their season hasn't been without issues.

The biggest issue, by far, is the performance of the defense, which has been woefully disappointing over the first six games, leading to no shortage of scrutiny for new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

In per-game averages, the Bills rank 31st in total yards and passing yards, and 28th in points.

As a result of Buffalo's rough start, USA TODAY's Michael Middlehurts-Schwartz thinks Leonhard is one of the NFL's coordinators who is under the most pressure.

"Unlike some others on this list, Leonhard probably isn't facing questions of job security as he oversees a fairly significant shift in adapting former coach Sean McDermott's defense to a radically different scheme. But with Buffalo otherwise looking capable of competing for its first title, he's hardly off the hook," he said.

Is Jim Leonhard on hot seat?

Bills head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard chat before practice at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While there is no doubt plenty of pressure on Leonhard to turn things around, especially given the Bills' status as a Super Bowl contender, we just don't see his job being in any real danger.

It isn't easy to change schemes and have success in the first year, and making that harder is the fact that the Bills had to work in multiple new starters.

It also doesn't help that the Bills have seen lackluster play at multiple position groups, including linebacker, cornerback and safety, so part of the blame rests on general manager Brandon Beane swinging and missing on players at those positions.

The Bills have shown remarkable patience with coaches, and even with Beane himself, so there's a good chance Leonhard won't be shown the door, even if the defense's issues continue.

Facing facts

Bills defense coordinator Jim Leonhard talks to someone on the sidelines before practice at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug. 13 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

To his credit, Leonhard hasn't minced words about the performance of the defense.

“It’s time to start being good at something, right? I mean . . . that’s our struggles right now. It’s too inconsistent to pretend that we’re building, and working, and making improvements," he said.

When it comes to where the issues lie, Leonhard has pointed the finger at the secondary more than the defensive front.

“Significantly more on the back seven than there is on the front,” he said.

The safety pairing of C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cole Bishop has not panned out overall, and now the Bills are going to be without Gardner-Johnson for a game, which will force Damar Hamlin and Jalon Kilgore into bigger roles. We know Hamlin's limits and the rookie remains unproven.

At cornerback, Maxwell Hairston has not taken the step forward the Bills were expecting, and rookie Davison Igbinosun is still raw and in need of more work.

All of this adds up to Beane needing to do something at the trade deadline to help his defensive coordinator out. The Bills general manager will have more than two weeks to get that done.

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