Jim Leonhard's defensive expertise in the preseason is taking the NFL by storm

Jim Leonhard, a name that many Wisconsin Badger fans likely recognize, was hired last winter by the Buffalo Bills, taking over responsibilities as the team’s defensive coordinator. The defensive side of the ball has always been Leonhard’s calling card, dating all the way back to his playing days, where despite being severely undersized, he was able to carve out a 10-year NFL career, along with stacking up one of the better Badger tenures for any defensive back in program history.

He carried that knowledge he gained on the field into coaching as well, starting as a defensive backs coach before being promoted after just one year to the team’s defensive coordinator. From there, he spent the next half decade heading a dominant Wisconsin defense, earning him plenty of coaching opportunities, including the Badgers’ head coaching job before eventually making the jump to the NFL.

Leonhard started his NFL coaching career much like his college tenure, joining the Denver Broncos as a defensive backs coach before working his way to assistant coach and eventually earning his chance as a defensive coordinator.

Dominant Start

It’s of course just been a couple of preseason games to base the sample of his expertise off of, but nonetheless, it’s clear that whatever Leonhard has going on is working in Buffalo. His unit has picked up 10 sacks, four interceptions and is allowing just 15.6 points per game. They have forced 13 punts as well, with teams converting on just 12 of the 34 third-down attempts they have had against the Bills.

Now again, it is important to preface by saying this is just a preseason sample — not actual game reps quite yet. Whatever Leonhard has done thus far could be completely wiped out in Week 1, as a fully prepared NFL team rolling out its starters is a much higher level of competition than whatever you will face in the preseason.

However, even if Leonhard can maintain a level remotely similar to the one he has had thus far, Buffalo fans should be over the moon about what this team could be. Josh Allen is undoubtedly one of the three best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his tenure in the league thus far has been plagued by early playoff exits — some of which have come in large part due to defensive collapses that were out of his control.

If Leonhard can continue to be who he has been, there is a good chance he could begin to rewire the narrative surrounding Allen and the Bills, possibly leading the team to its first Super Bowl win.

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