Tag: defensive backs coach

Sean Payton says Jim Leonhard has a bright future as a coach in the NFL

“This guy has got a real good future as a coach in this league,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of new DBs coach Jim Leonhard.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton tried to hire Jim Leonhard to his staff last year, but Leonhard took a break from coaching in 2023 while recovering from hip surgery.

After fully recovering, Leonhard joined Payton’s staff this spring as a defensive backs coach. Leonhard, 41, spent 10 years as a safety and special teams player in the NFL, including a summer with the New Orleans Saints in 2013.

“I had him briefly as a player and he reminds me that I cut him,” Payton said on June 12. “I think he [also] came here. He played for a long time. He’s extremely smart. Even last year in the process, he was going through a hip replacement surgery, so I was trying to hire him, but he was going to have trouble with that. He spent that year — last year — just working kind of as a consultant with Illinois. He was able to do that where it was going to be harder for him to commit.

“When this year came around and the opportunity presented itself — we are getting someone with [playing] experience and we’re getting someone with coaching experience as well. He’s been coaching at the college level now for quite a while and was a candidate to be the head coach at Wisconsin. I’ve kind of known him for a while and he’s one of those guys — not only myself, but I would say a number of people in the league have tracked and said, ‘This guy has got a real good future as a coach in this league.’”

Leonhard spent one season with the Broncos in 2012. Following his final season in 2014, Leonhard transitioned to coaching. He returned to Wisconsin, his alma mater, in 2016 and quickly worked his way up from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator. Leonhard served as an interim head coach in 2022 before stepping down and taking a senior football analyst role at Illinois while rehabbing in 2023.

Now set to make his NFL coaching debut in 2024, Leonhard brings 10 years of experience as a player and seven years of coaching experience to Denver.

“He did a lot, and he will lean on him in all of those areas,” Payton said. “He really had a good career and was part of a lot of winning teams, too. The Jets — I remember competing against the Jets and [he] had two real good seasons there. He was part of those teams with Rex [Ryan]. He was in Baltimore and here. He was at a few stops, but when you play that long, he is doing something right.”

Broncos fans will get their first look at Leonhard coaching up the team’s defensive backs when training camp practices begin on Friday.

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Jim Leonhard excited to make NFL coaching debut with Broncos

Sean Payton tried to hire Jim Leonhard last year, but he took a year off coaching due to hip surgery. Now recovered, Leonhard is on board.

After spending ten years as a safety and special teams player, Jim Leonhard transitioned from playing in the NFL to coaching at his alma mater, Wisconsin.

Leonhard returned to the Badgers in 2016 initially as a defensive backs coach before later becoming the defensive coordinator and eventually an interim head coach. He turned down DC jobs in the NFL to remain at the college level and then served as a senior football analyst at Illinois in 2023 while recovering from hip surgery.

After failing to land Leonhard on his staff last year, Broncos head coach Sean Payton made a pitch to Leonhard again in 2024. This time, the coach accepted, joining the team as their new defensive backs coach after six years at the college level.

“Definitely excited to be here,” Leonhard said on June 12. “Last year was a great time for me to kind of step away and reset a little bit. We had talked a year ago and decided against it, but it was hard to turn down twice.

“I loved my time here in Denver. It was a great experience as a player, and just knowing really from the top down, the commitment and the passion for the Broncos here in Denver. I’m excited to be back for this to be my first opportunity coaching in the NFL.”

Leonhard spent one season playing for the Broncos in 2012. He started one game on defense that season and played 151 snaps on special teams. Now back in Denver, Leonhard will be tasked with coaching up the Broncos’ defensive backs while undoubtedly helping with special teams as well.

The 41-year-old coach is the latest ex-player to join Payton’s staff, joining a list of peers that includes Chris Banjo, Zach Strief, Davis Webb, Keary Colbert and Logan Kilgore. Judging by his quick ascension, Leonhard seems poised to have a bright future in coaching.

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Sean Payton sees a high ceiling for Broncos’ new DBs coach Jim Leonhard

“I think that he’s extremely bright … he’s got one of these high ceilings,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Jim Leonhard.

After losing Christian Parker to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Denver Broncos replaced him with new defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard.

Leonhard is a former NFL safety who had brief stops with the Broncos and with the New Orleans Saints during his playing days. He transitioned to coaching in 2016 and he has quickly risen up the coaching ranks.

“Jim was someone that I had spoken with last offseason,” Denver coach Sean Payton said at the NFL combine on Feb. 27. “He actually played for us briefly. I know he [also] played for Denver for a year. He had hip replacement surgery last year, so he was going to be in a position where he couldn’t commit to a full-time job. He helped out Illinois.

“I think that he’s extremely bright and he was as a player. He solved all the problems as a player. He was in Buffalo, with the Jets, Baltimore and Denver. He played for 10 years and I think he’s got one of these high ceilings that we see with some young coaches. I say young, but it’s kind of all relative. I think a lot of him, and we spent a lot of time on that process.”

Leonhard, 41, served as a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2017-2021 before being promoted to interim head coach in 2022. Before joining the Broncos this offseason, he previously interviewed for two defensive coordinator openings in the NFL.

Leonhard might one day be a DC candidate in Denver. For now, though, he’s an overqualified DBs coach set to replace Parker in 2024.

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Broncos might have a future defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard

Either with the Broncos or another team, Jim Leonhard seems to be on track to eventually get a defensive coordinator job in the NFL.

The Denver Broncos made two additions to their coaching staff on Wednesday, officially hiring Pete Carmichael as senior offensive assistant and Jim Leonhard as defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach.

Leonhard, 41, is a huge hire for a positional coach.

The former NFL safety spent 2016-2022 coaching at his alma mater, Wisconsin. After starting out as a defensive backs coach, he was quickly promoted to defensive coordinator before later becoming the team’s interim head coach.

Leonhard spent last fall as a senior football analyst at Illinois. Before that, he interviewed for two defensive coordinator openings in the NFL (as our friend Joey Richards of “Let’s Talk Broncos” pointed out on Twitter/X).

Leonhard interviewed for — and was offered — the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator job in 2021, but he turned them down, opting to remain with the Badgers. Two years later, Leonhard interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator opening, but they hired Sean Desai instead.

The fact that Leonhard has already interviewed for DC jobs in the NFL suggests that he will likely land a DC role at some point in the future, either with the Broncos or another team.

We know that current DC Vance Joseph would like to become a head coach again. Perhaps if Denver’s defense has a standout year in 2024, Joseph might be considered for head coach openings next January. If Joseph does leave the Broncos at some point (by his own choice or otherwise), Leonhard will be an obvious candidate to replace him.

Leonhard is overqualified for a defensive backs coach position (despite “pass game coordinator” being in the name). He will likely get a promotion before long, the only question is if that will happen in Denver or elsewhere.

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Broncos announce Sean Payton’s two additions to coaching staff

The Broncos have hired Pete Carmichael (senior offensive assistant) and Jim Leonhard (defensive pass game coordinator/DBs coach).

The Denver Broncos confirmed two expected hires on Wednesday.

First, the Broncos brought in Pete Carmichael as a senior offensive assistant, a move that was previously reported. After that, the team added Jim Leonhard as defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, another previously reported hire.

Carmichael, 52, worked with Denver head coach Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021. He served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2009 through last season before being fired.

Leonhard, 41, played safety for 10 seasons in the NFL, including one year with the Broncos (2012) and one summer with Payton’s Saints (2013). He will replace Christian Parker as the team’s new DBs coach. Landing him as a position coach is a big hire for Denver.

Leonhard previously served as a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, his alma mater, from 2017-2021 before being promoted to interim head coach in 2022. Leonhard then left the Badgers and spent one season as a senior football analyst with Illinois in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers offered Leonhard their defensive coordinator job in 2021 but he turned them down. Leonhard also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator opening in 2023. Leonhard will likely land a DC job at some point down the road. For now, the Broncos will have him coaching their defensive backs.

Those are two good hires for Payton’s staff.

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Broncos expected to hire Jim Leonhard as DBs coach

After losing Christian Parker to the Eagles, the Broncos are expected to hire Jim Leonhard as their new defensive backs coach.

After losing defensive backs coach Christian Parker to the Philadelphia Eagles in a lateral move, the Denver Broncos are poised to replace him with a former NFL safety.

The Broncos are expected to hire Jim Leonhard as their new defensive backs coach, ESPN’s Dan Graziano first reported on Sunday. Leonhard, 41, played in the NFL from 2005-2014. He spent time with six teams, including one season with the Denver Broncos in 2012.

Leonhard hung up his cleats following the 2014 season with 428 career tackles, 14 interceptions and 4.5 sacks in 142 games (73 starts). He transitioned to coaching in 2016 when he returned to Wisconsin — his alma mater — as a defensive backs coach.

Leonhard was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017 and he later served as the Badgers’ interim head coach in 2022. After leaving Wisconsin in 2023, Leonhard served as a senior football analyst at Illinois last fall. He’s now returning to the NFL as a coach as a member of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s staff.

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Eagles (and Vic Fangio) poach promising young coach from Broncos

Christian Parker left the Broncos to join Vic Fangio’s defensive staff with the Eagles. Vance Joseph remains Denver’s defensive coordinator.

The Denver Broncos will need a new defensive backs coach in 2024.

After interviewing for defensive coordinator openings with the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, defensive backs coach Christian Parker is leaving the Broncos, but not for a DC job.

Parker has left Denver to join Vic Fangio’s defensive staff with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple reports. It’s essentially a lateral move — Parker will become a “passing game coordinator” in Philadelphia, a title the Broncos could have given him in 2024.

Denver could have blocked Parker’s move, but Denver head coach Sean Payton allowed the young coach to reunite with Fangio. Parker, 32, was hired by Fangio in 2021.

The Broncos have now lost two promising young defensive coaches in consecutive offseasons: Ejiro Evero in 2023 and Parker in 2024. After Evero left last year, Payton wanted to replace him with Fangio, but Fangio did not want to return to Denver.

The Broncos ultimately ended up hiring Vance Joseph as DC. Evero left, Parker left and Fangio wouldn’t return. Now Joseph remains.

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Sean Payton’s coaching staff includes a rising star on defense

“He’s smart, he works his butt off and his players love playing for him,” Broncos DC Vance Joseph said of Christian Parker. “He’s a star.”

Sean Payton made sweeping changes to the team’s coaching staff when he arrived this spring, bringing back just four coaches from Nathaniel Hackett’s old staff.

Payton brought back one offensive quality control coach, a strength coach and two defensive assistants: defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and defensive backs coach Christian Parker.

Keeping Parker and Dixon was a priority for Payton. Both are young, promising coaches who have bright futures in the NFL. Parker, in particular, has been mentioned as a future defensive coordinator candidate by pundits and he’s been praised by coaches.

“He’s sharp, man,” current defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Parker on June 14. “He’s sharp. He’s a star. He is a great partner to work with. As a veteran coach, I’ve coordinated for about seven years now. My tape is out there, so I’m looking for ways to do different things.

“[I’ve been] speaking with Christian every day and bouncing ideas off him from what he’s done with Vic [Fangio] and guys in the past has been fun. [We’re] making changes and growing off what they did last year. He’s smart, he works his butt off and his players love playing for him. He’s a star.”

Parker, 31, played college football at Richmond before getting his coaching start as a DBs coach at Virginia State in 2013. He went on to spend time with Norfolk State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M from 2015-2018 before getting his first NFL opportunity as a defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2019.

After two seasons with the Packers, Paker joined the Broncos as their DBs coach in 2021. Parker has impressed as a position coach in Denver and he will undoubtedly be a candidate for a promotion down the road.

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Former Chargers DC Renaldo Hill heading to Dolphins in new role

Renaldo Hill is headed to the Dolphins after two seasons with the Chargers.

The Chargers lost defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill to the Dolphins on Monday in a move that will see him take a role as the pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for his new team.

Hill had been with the Chargers since 2021 and will be on his second stint in Miami, where he was previously the Dolphins’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.

In the 2022 season, Hill’s defense ranked 20th in raw yardage, 26th against the pass, and fifth in rushing. Their turnover percentage was 11.2 percent, good for just 17th in the league over the course of the year, and 14th in opponent scoring percentage at 37.2 percent. The unit ended the season with the 12th-best mark in points allowed.

Report: Raiders to hire Chris Ash as defensive backs coach

Chris Ash, who spent last season with the Jaguars, is to be Raiders new DB coach

Within days of Patrick Graham taking over as Raiders defensive coordinator, he has found his DB coach. He is former Jaguars DB coach Chris Ash according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic confirmed the hire.

Prior to spending the 2021 season with the Jaguars, Ash was a coach at the college level. Most prominently spending four seasons as head coach at Rutgers (2016-19).

Ash started out the DC at Drake (1998-99). From there he spent nine years as a DB coach at the Division I level at Iowa State (2002-06, 2009), San Diego State (2007-08), and Wisconsin (2010).

He got the DC gig at Wisconsin (2011-12), then Arkansas (2013), then Ohio State (2014-15) and later Texas (2020) before joining Urban Meyer’s staff in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars’ team was terrible overall last season, so it’s hard to know how good of a job he did. Opponents didn’t put the ball in the air much (fifth fewest attempts) and therefore they were near the bottom in interceptions (7), just above the Raiders (6) at dead last.