There are 64 offensive and defensive coordinator jobs in the NFL, and more than half turned over this season, with 35 total changes — 21 new offensive coordinators and 14 new defensive coordinators (15 if an exceptional title case is counted), according to the report. The leaguewide turnover is the highest on record as expectations for rapid results continue to rise.
The story identifies 10 new coordinators who arrive in 2026 with significant questions hanging over their early performances. The piece notes several high-profile names — including Sean Mannion, Eric Bieniemy and Jonathan Gannon — but says those three did not make the author’s final list of 10 whose work will be most consequential, according to the report.
One of the coordinators singled out is Jim Leonhard, who will take over Buffalo’s defense as the Bills move on from Sean McDermott. The report raises the immediate question of how quickly the defense can change, noting that playcaller stability is rare in today’s NFL and that more than half of teams will have a new offensive playcaller this season.
The report details how McDermott, who built Buffalo’s defensive identity after his 2017 hire, favored nickel personnel, spot-drop zone concepts and traditional four-man rushes. McDermott was the league’s lone long-term head coach with a defensive background until Buffalo fired him in January, and his departure opens the way for Joe Brady — an ex-offensive coordinator — to run the franchise while Leonhard inherits the defense.
Leonhard is described as a rising defensive coach with a background as Wisconsin’s coordinator, known for match coverages and simulated pressures, and having spent the past two seasons working alongside Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The report says Leonhard plans to shift Buffalo from a 4-3 base to a 3-4, a change that will require pass-rushers to drop into coverage more often, alter gap responsibilities and potentially favor different body types at key positions.
The transition is expected to include some continuity — Leonhard told the team that subpackage roles will look familiar — but the story concludes that retooling a roster long built for another coach’s specialty will be difficult and raise the stakes for the new coordinator in Buffalo and elsewhere.
