Jim Leonhard has arrived in Buffalo with a reputation that fits the way he works: quiet, deliberate and always a step ahead. The Bills’ first-year defensive coordinator has already earned a nickname from his players - “the silent assassin” - and it makes sense for a coach who prefers to study the room first and speak second.
Bradley Chubb summed up the vibe simply: “He’s not going to say much to you, but what’s expected of you,” he said. “And I like it because at the end of the day you want stealth, that guy who’s not trying to be in the media and trying to do all this. He’s just about business.”
Leonhard laughed at that. He knows the label comes from somewhere. But he also knows that Buffalo’s defense can’t afford a long learning curve, especially after a major offseason overhaul and a change at the top following Sean McDermott’s firing in January.
“My job is to try to make that break-in period as short as possible,” Leonhard said.
For Leonhard, the answer starts with communication. He knows the Bills are building from the ground up, with a new system, a new structure and as many as five new starters coming into a three linemen/four linebacker setup.
“Over communicating is probably the No. 1 thing I can do to try to let them get in my brain, like, ‘What am I thinking? How do I see this playing out?’”
he added. “It’s being very open, which sometimes I don’t want to be.
But that’s the fastest way.”
The assignment is a big one. McDermott was responsible for the defense during his nine seasons as head coach, and while Buffalo’s bend-but-don’t-break approach helped fuel a seven-year run of double digit-win seasons, the unit never quite matched that success when the lights got brightest in the playoffs.
Leonhard brings a different flavor. The 43-year-old spent the last decade sharpening an attacking style, first at Wisconsin, where he was coordinator at his alma mater, and then over the past two years in Denver under Vance Joseph. During that stretch, the Broncos piled up an NFL-leading 131 sacks and finished in the top 10 in several other defensive categories.
That aggressive mindset is exactly what new head coach Joe Brady wanted. The goal is for Buffalo’s defense to reflect the same edge and pressure that defines Josh Allen’s offense.
Still, Leonhard is quick to draw a line between aggressive and careless.
“That just means you’re not going to let the offense dictate the game. We have to throw our punches too,” he said.
“It’s strategic. You’re doing it on purpose.
I don’t like to be reckless as far as how I call a game. But I’m not just going to sit back and say, ‘We’re going to out-execute you week in and week out.'”
Even with the preseason now behind them, Leonhard isn’t giving away much. Asked how much of the playbook Buffalo showed in open practices and three preseason games, he kept it light.
“What do we benefit from me telling you how much you saw?” Leonhard said, with a chuckle as Buffalo prepares to open its season at Houston on Sunday.
“I mean, there’s core elements to what we do that were obviously out there in the preseason. But at the same time, there is a lot more there.”
That’s Leonhard in a nutshell: measured, guarded and hard to read. For the Bills, that might be exactly the point.
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