It’s been a busy week for Jim Leonhard, and not just because he’s helping coach the AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos as they prepare to host a playoff game. The former Wisconsin standout and longtime defensive mind is now firmly in the mix for a defensive coordinator role in the NFL-a logical next step in what’s been a steady, impressive rise through the coaching ranks.
Leonhard, currently serving as the Broncos’ assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator, interviewed for open coordinator positions with both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets this week. According to the Jets, he was one of eight candidates to take part in virtual interviews-part of a wide-ranging search to fix a defense that, like Dallas, struggled mightily in 2025. Both teams finished at the bottom of the league in scoring defense, and both are clearly looking for a defensive mind who can help reset their identity on that side of the ball.
Leonhard fits that mold. At 43, he’s already built a résumé that commands respect.
He’s in his second season with the Broncos, a team that’s turned heads with its defensive performance. In 2024, Denver brought him in as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator.
A year later, he added assistant head coach to his title-a nod to his growing influence and leadership on one of the league’s most disciplined and efficient defenses.
But Leonhard’s coaching chops go back further than his time in Denver. He made his mark at his alma mater, Wisconsin, where he served as defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022.
During that stretch, his defenses consistently ranked among the best in college football-top five in total defense and top 10 in scoring defense four times in his first five seasons. That kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident.
Leonhard built units that were physical, fundamentally sound, and tough to move the ball against-qualities that translate well to the NFL.
In 2022, Leonhard was elevated to interim head coach after Paul Chryst was let go midseason. While Wisconsin ultimately went in a different direction, hiring Luke Fickell, Leonhard’s leadership during that transition period only further cemented his reputation as a coach players respond to and respect. He spent one more season in the college game, working alongside Bret Bielema at Illinois in 2023 as a senior football analyst, before making the jump to the NFL.
Leonhard’s path has always been about defying expectations. As a player, he walked on at Wisconsin and turned himself into an All-American defensive back.
In the NFL, he went undrafted in 2005 but still carved out a 10-year career, suiting up for five different teams-including two stints with the Bills, and stops with the Ravens, Jets, Broncos, and Browns. He wasn’t the biggest or fastest guy on the field, but he made up for it with elite football IQ and a relentless work ethic-traits that have clearly carried over into his coaching career.
Now, with interviews in hand and a playoff run underway, Leonhard is on the verge of another leap. Whether it’s with the Jets, Cowboys, or another team down the line, it feels like only a matter of time before he’s calling plays for an NFL defense. And given his track record, there’s good reason to believe he’ll make the most of that opportunity-just like he has every step of the way.