The Buffalo Bills promoted linebackers coach Bobby Babich to defensive coordinator on Tuesday.
Babich fills a vacancy vacated last season when the organization announced Leslie Frazier chose to take the year off to seek a potential head coaching position. The selection of a coordinator also suggests that head coach Sean McDermott will abandon defensive play-calling responsibilities in Frazier’s absence.
The move comes after Eric Washington, Buffalo’s assistant head coach and defensive line coach, left to become the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator last weekend.
Babich has been with the Bills since 2017, when McDermott was hired as coach. He began as an assistant defensive backs coach before becoming the safeties coach in 2018. He was then elevated to linebackers coach in 2022 in replacing his father, Bob Babich, who retired following the 2021 season.
Bobby Babich began his NFL career as an administrative assistant with the Panthers in 2011, and the following year he was promoted to defensive assistant under McDermott, Carolina’s then-defensive coordinator.
Babich takes over a Bills defense that is likely to undergo changes this offseason due to age and free agency. Starting safety Micah Hyde is considering retirement, while fellow starting Jordan Poyer is in danger of being removed due to salary cap issues.
Five regulars on Buffalo’s defensive front are eligible for free agency, including edge rushers Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa, as well as tackles DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle.
McDermott’s staff is also in upheaval, with Joe Brady taking over as offensive coordinator full-time after serving in an interim capacity last season following Ken Dorsey’s dismissal in mid-November.
The Bills finished 11-6 during the regular season and were ousted in the divisional round for the third consecutive year after losing 27-24 to Kansas City.
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