The Green Bay Packers recently hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator. This came, of course, as a result of Jeff Hafley vacating the position to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Over the past week, Gannon and Matt LaFleur have been replenishing the defensive staff as multiple coaches followed Hafley to Miami.
One of the coaches who was hired was former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. In Green Bay, he will hold the title of defensive passing game coordinator.
Babich became available after the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott and replaced him with his own offensive coordinator, Joe Brady.
Jim Leonhard will replace Green Bay Packers coach Bobby Babich as defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills
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The hire of Gannon came as a surprise to many fans because it had previously been reported that the Packers were waiting to be able to talk to former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator/interim head coach Jim Leonhard. At the time, his Denver Broncos were preparing for the AFC Championship Game and he was not available to interview with other NFL teams.
Green Bay, though, felt they could not wait and risk losing out on Gannon, so they hired him without talking to Leonhard.
Now, Leonard, whose Broncos lost the AFC title game, has been hired as the next defensive coordinator of the Bills:
Sources: The #Bill are hiring #Broncos defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator. They have agreed to terms.
A big hire for new coach Joe Brady. The former player, Leonhard was coveted. pic.twitter.com/2IYPS17mTj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2026
With Denver, Leonard was the passing game coordinator and assistant head coach.
During his playing career, the former Badgers star was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent and spent 2005-2007 with the team. He had a second stint in Buffalo towards the end of his playing career in 2013.
Leonhard was also being considered for the defensive coordinator job with the Baltimore Ravens. However, in Buffalo, he will have the opportunity to call the defense’s plays. If he had gone to Baltimore, he would not have had that chance because their new head coach, Jesse Minter, said he is going take on that responsibility.
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- Former teammate says ex-Packers QB coach is playing Russian roulette with Philly OC job
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