Buffalo Bills promote Bobby Babich to take over as defensive coordinator

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills promoted linebackers coach Bobby Babich to take over as the team’s defensive coordinator on Tuesday.

Babich fills a role left vacant last season after the team said Leslie Frazier elected to take the year off to pursue a potential head coaching job. The hiring of a coordinator is also an indication that head coach Sean McDermott will relinquish the defensive play-calling duties in Frazier’s absence.

The move comes after assistant head coach and defensive line coach Eric Washington left Buffalo after being hired as the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator last weekend.

Babich has been on the Bills staff since 2017, when McDermott was hired as coach. He began as an assistant defensive backs coach before taking over as safeties coach in 2018. He was then promoted to linebackers coach in 2022 in replacing his father, Bob Babich, who retired following the 2021 season.

Bobby Babich broke into the NFL in 2011 as the Panthers administrative assistant and became a defensive assistant the following year under McDermott, Carolina’s then-defensive coordinator.

Babich takes over a Bills defense expected to undergo a shake-up this offseason because of age and free agency. Starting safety Micah Hyde is contemplating retirement while fellow starter Jordan Poyer is in jeopardy of being cut for salary cap reasons. Buffalo’s defensive front has five regulars eligible to become free agents, including edge rushers Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa and tackles DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle.

McDermott’s staff is also in transition, with Joe Brady taking over as offensive coordinator on a full-time basis after closing last season in an interim role following Ken Dorsey’s firing in mid-November.

The Bills are coming off an 11-6 regular-season finish, and were eliminated in the divisional round for a third straight year following a 27-24 loss to Kansas City.