The Denver Broncos have had five total coaching changes on Sean Payton’s staff this week, with the latest being one of their best defensive assistants.
Denver Broncos lose Jim Leonhard to Buffalo Bills DC job
Jim Leonhard is heading to the Buffalo Bills as their newest defensive coordinator, which makes the fifth overall coaching change for the Denver Broncos this week.
Leonhard was the Broncos’ defensive passing game coordinator and assistant head coach, and was highly coveted by a handful of other teams that had vacancies for their defensive coordinator positions. Behind the scenes, Leonhard’s role was important for Vance Joseph, who is still mulling over head coaching opportunities in Las Vegas and Arizona.
What’s interesting to watch here for the Broncos is what Joseph ultimately decides to do. If the Broncos lose him to a head coaching job, Leonhard was the ideal in-house candidate to take over as DC.
Earlier this week, Sean Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch. Payton’s key senior offensive assistant, Pete Carmichael, departed on Friday to take the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator job, with Payton’s coaching tree now extending deep into the AFC.
Payton and the Broncos will methodically look to hire new position coaches at wide receiver and cornerback, but hope remains that Davis Webb stays on as offensive coordinator, especially after he withdrew his name from the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job.
The Broncos interviewed Bills’ QB coach Ronald Curry and Washington Commanders assistant head coach/passing game coordinator Brian Johnson for their OC vacancy this week.