Bills promote linebackers coach Bobby Babich to become new defensive coordinator

ORCHARD PARK - By most measures, Sean McDermott deftly handled the dual role he put on his own plate last season, serving not only as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but as of defensive coordinator.

However, that will change in 2024 as the Bills announced on Tuesday that linebackers coach Bobby Babich has been promoted to the role of coordinator.

Whether this was the plan all along is unknown, but what likely prompted this decision was that Babich was getting interview requests including from the Giants, Packers and Dolphins and McDermott did not want to lose one of his most trusted lieutenants.

“Good coach,” McDermott said last week when he was asked about Babich. “Bobby and I have been together a number of years, going back to our time together in Carolina. And you know, his dad was with us for a number of years here, and good family. Bob is a good coach. He’s developed players, and I think when you evaluate a coach, it’s are you taking what you have and making it better? And I think it doesn’t need to get any more complex than that. And Bobby’s done that.”

Last year, Leslie Frazier, who was McDermott’s coordinator from 2017-22, left the team and rather than replace him, McDermott got back to his roots as a coordinator from his days with the Eagles and Panthers. And it went well as the Bills ranked fourth in points allowed per game (18.3), ninth in yards allowed (307.2), seventh in passing yards (196.6), fourth in sacks (54), third in takeaways (30), tied for third in interceptions (18), tied for seventh in percentage of drives ending in scores (32.0%), and tied for seventh in pressure percentage (23.1%).

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This in the face of a challenging situation created by a crazy amount of injuries to many defensive players.

Bobby Babich coaching background

The 40-year-old Babich began his NFL coaching career in 2011 with Carolina as an administrative assistant. He was assistant defensive backs coach for the Browns in 2013-145, then joined the Bills on McDermott’s original 2017 staff as an assistant DBs coach.

He became safeties coach in 2018, then switched to linebackers in 2022 and all of his groups have performed admirably.

One of his greatest successes was the development of middle linebacker Terrel Bernard in 2023. Bernard had the enormous task of replacing departed free agent and five-year starter Tremaine Edmunds. Bernard hardly played on defense as a rookie third-round pick in 2022, but with Babich’s help, he became arguably the Bills’ most valuable defender in 2023.

He led the team with 143 tackles and also had 6.5 sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. And his absence in the playoff loss to Kansas City due to an ankle injury played a key role in Buffalo’s defeat.

“Bobby has done a phenomenal job, he really has,” McDermott said when asked earlier this season about Bernard’s emergence. “We’ve been together for a number of years, our families are close and he’s a really good coach, he really is and works extremely hard. He has a passion for the job. He learned from I think growing up in a football family much like I did and so he’s just had a great foundation and he’s done a great job with the position.”

Babich’s father, Bob, coached more than 35 years in college and the pros including three years as the Bears defensive coordinator, three as the Jaguars defensive coordinator, and was linebackers coach for the Bills from 2017-21 before retiring. His son replaced him in that role.