For the last couple of seasons, the defense for the Buffalo Bills has been the biggest liability of the team and it’s cost them playoff games. Now granted, this past playoff loss vs. Denver was not totally their fault as Josh Allen turned the ball over four times. Outside of that, the defense has been the main issue.
With the Sean McDermott-era being over, the Bills are in a new direction with Joe Brady replacing him. One of Brady’s first big moves was the hiring of Jim Leonhard as the team’s next defensive coordinator. Leonhard joins the Bills from the Denver Broncos, where he was the team’s pass-game coordinator and had the opportunity to be around the best corner in the game, Pat Surtain II.
Denver’s defense has been one of, if not the best in the league for the last two seasons and Leonhard has played a vital role in it. If Leonhard can turn this defense around, it will only be a matter of time before he becomes a head coach.
There will be growing pains with this defense and Leonhard will be tasked to get creative and clean up some of the messes that have been there. In order to do that, Leonhard may need some familiarity and there is a pending free agent who could very well be in a Bills uniform for 2026.
Hidden Broncos gem could be huge factor in Bills' defensive turnaround
Pending free agent linebacker Alex Singleton is set to enter free agency after spending the last four seasons with the Denver Broncos. In five out of seven seasons, Singleton has recorded 100+ total tackles and he has a good eye for batting the ball down before it gets by him.
Zachary Pereles from CBS Sports listed Singleton as an under-the-radar free agent with the ability of being able to effectively stop the run, something that the Bills had major trouble doing in 2025.
"PFF graded him very highly as a run defender and not as highly as a pass defender. Still, he can provide solid play in the middle, especially when behind an impactful defensive line." said Pereles.
While the Bills value versatility, you can’t have every single player with the ability to do multiple things at a high level. Sometimes you just need to have some players thrive in one specific area. Singleton’s ability to stop the run is something that the Bills cannot ignore.
He has been a leader for Denver and having played in the defensive scheme that Leonhard was part of, a pairing between the Bills and Singleton makes so much sense.
According to Spotrac, Singleton’s market value is listed at $4.7 million and that would be a huge discount for the Bills considering what their salary cap is currently. The Bills get a true run-stopping linebacker and Singleton gets familiarity with Leonhard on another AFC powerhouse.