Report: Broncos Could Lose Jim Leonhard to AFC Contender

Denver Broncos assistant head coach/defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard is "expected to be a leading candidate" to become the Buffalo Bills' next defensive coordinator, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Leonhard would be one of the first hires executed by new Bills head coach Joe Brady, who was tapped for the job on Tuesday.

Sources: Broncos defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard is expected to be a leading candidate to become the next defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. pic.twitter.com/LuWD0G4u3a
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026

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A two-time former Bill and one-time Bronco, Leonhard spent more than a decade playing defensive back in the NFL before trading in his helmet for a headset. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Wisconsin, rising his way from DBs coach to interim head coach, before eventually making the leap to the pros — in the Mile High City.

Hired by the Broncos in 2024 as its secondary coach/passing game coordinator, Leonhard had "assistant head coach" slapped to his resume before this season. He's credited with helping develop several key players, including reigning All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and has long been viewed as the successor to DC Vance Joseph, who interviewed for several head-coaching jobs earlier this month.

“Every year, you go through it," Payton said Tuesday of potentially losing members of his staff. "[Offensive Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach] Davis [Webb], and you have [Defensive Coordinator] Vance [Joseph], and there are teams was inquiring about [Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach Jim] Leonhard. It's part of the deal. ... [I’m] certainly supportive of those guys. And I've said this, you want those guys… [Bills Head Coach] Joe Brady was named this morning. I hired him right out of college, so [I’m] proud of him, and [I] just spoke to him two days ago. You want to see guys that come in and work, that are part of your staff, you want to see them have success, not the other way around. We’ll figure out when and if we lose a coach, and what the plan is going to be.”

In addition to the Bills, Leonhard also drew interest from the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys for their respective coaching vacancies, while ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported last week that Leonhard is among the "top candidates" for the Los Angeles Chargers' DC position.

It's uncertain as of this writing who would replace Leonhard in Denver if he accepts Buffalo's likely impending offer.

Wisconsin head coach Jim Leonhard, center, is shown during the first quarter of their game Saturday, November 26, 2022 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Uwgrid26 5 | MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Webb to Raiders?

Leonhard is but a single piece of the puzzle for Payton as he begins to look ahead to the 2026 campaign. The Broncos also could see the departure of quarterbacks coach/offensive passing game coordinator Davis Webb, 31, a rising commodity in league circles.

Webb was supposedly in play for the Bills' head-coaching gig before Brady was chosen. But he also remains in play — and could be the favorite — to become the Las Vegas Raiders' new HC, for which he's interviewing this week.

On Tuesday, Payton humorously addressed the possibility of squaring off against Webb's Raiders twice a year in the AFC West.

"It'd be a pain in the ass for him," he joked.