The Denver Broncos‘ 2025 campaign came to an end in crushing fashion, as they suffered an ugly 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Now, the Broncos have to begin preparing for the offseason, and their coaching staff could look very different when they return to action next year.
Throughout the head coach hiring process, passing game coordinator Davis Webb has been viewed as a top candidate. While he didn’t land the Buffalo Bills head coach job, that isn’t going to stop the team from looking to steal one of the Broncos’ coaches, as defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard has reportedly emerged as a top option for one of the vacancies on Joe Brady‘s staff.
Bills Eyeing Jim Leonhard for Defensive Coordinator Opening
The Bills cycled through quite a few candidates before landing on Brady as their new head coach. That included Webb, who was believed to be a frontrunner for the job given his ties to Josh Allen, as he was his backup quarterback for three seasons with Buffalo during his playing career. While he could conceivably be a candidate to replace Brady as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, it seems like Webb is either going to land the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach job or stick with the Broncos.
Denver could see itself losing another coach to Buffalo, though. That would be Leonhard, who has spent the past two seasons with the Broncos, working as an assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator in 2025. Leonhard’s work with Denver’s lockdown secondary has earned him quite a bit of attention across the league.
While Leonhard isn’t earning head coach consideration like Webb, he is viewed as a strong defensive coordinator candidate. Brady has already begun lining up assistants to join his staff in Buffalo, and reports indicate that he has already locked in on Leonhard as his top defensive coordinator candidate.
“Sources: Broncos defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard is expected to be a leading candidate to become the next defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Broncos Appear Set to Lose Several Key Assistant Coaches
GettyNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 17: Quarterbacks coach Davis Webb of the Denver Broncos looks on against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on October 17, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Gus Stark/Getty Images)
The stars seemed to be aligning for the Broncos to make a Super Bowl run this season, but Bo Nix’s season-ending ankle injury suffered in the team’s playoff win over the Bills threw everything off course. Now, Denver is going to have to find a way to run it back in 2026, and there’s a decent chance several key members of its coaching staff will not be in town.
Losing Leonhard, whose experience on the defensive side of the ball has been a huge help for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, would be a major blow for the Broncos. But when you play as well as Denver did in 2025, teams are going to look to replicate what it accomplished. Leonhard isn’t a member of the Bills just yet, but it’s seeming increasingly likely he won’t be back with the Broncos next season.
Broncos Could Lose Top Assistant Coach to Bills, but it isn’t Davis Webb