As Day 2 of the NFL Combine rolled on, Buffalo Bills general manager and President of Football Operations Brandon Beane had an opportunity to speak with the media. He offered many explanations and changes that will help the Bills move forward with their new power structure.
One aspect he focused on was how the defense would change, along with the visions he saw for that side of the ball.
The defenses under former head coach Sean McDermott were very disappointing, especially during the playoffs. Despite being a defensive-minded head coach, that was a very poor look for a team with Josh Allen at quarterback, trying to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Therefore, Beane knew the team needed to make a change and decided to pull the plug on McDermott after a long nine-year stint.
Bills GM Brandon Beane speaks on new defensive vision
"It's been fun, you know, anytime you have new people, new ideas, you're kind of just sharing experiences, and thoughts, and I think I just talk about it here," Beane said on Tuesday. "After Jim got settled and before Joe hired him, we talked about how the attractiveness if he were to hire Jim."
Beane echoed that the team needs talented football players who fit the team's schemes and can succeed.
"Listen, guys, we want good football players; we don't want to force a square peg in a round hole," he said. "And at the end of the day, these guys have a good vision and a good plan."
The Bills aimed for a different style of defense by first hiring Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator. The former Bills player joined the Denver Broncos as their defensive passing game coordinator under head coach Sean Payton.
Because head coach Joe Brady prides himself on being under Payton's coaching tree, he wanted to bring in a coach like Leonhard to run a Sean Payton-type defense for the Bills. The defense is run by mixing up different looks and fronts to break down offensive line protections and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Beane stated at his press conference that the team needs good football players, good vision, and a game plan to bring this Payton-esque defense to Orchard Park and run it well.
#Bills GM Brandon Beane says one of the attractive pieces that DC Jim Leonhard brings to the table is his multiplicity with a 5-down front & a 3-4 base
— Maddy Glab (@MadGlab) February 24, 2026
The front consists of a base 3-4 alignment with three defensive linemen and four linebackers, a five-man front, and putting everybody on the line to bullrush the passer. This type of defense has been very effective, as Sean Payton had former Bills head coach Gregg Williams run it as his defensive coordinator in 2009, when the New Orleans Saints defeated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 44.
Fast-forward to today, and the Bills are now hoping to run their own version of this defense and win a Super Bowl with it at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, next February. The Saints were successful with it because of star players like Jonathan Vilma, Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, etc.