The Buffalo Bills saw one of their division rivals in the New England Patriots make a trade for A.J. Brown on Monday, acquiring him from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two draft picks (including a 2028 first-round pick). Just a couple of months ago, the Bills traded for DJ Moore to be their new No. 1 receiver for Josh Allen. The Patriots have now done the same for Drake Maye.
With this trade official, the worst-kept secret in the NFL is over and now there won’t be anymore speculation. All that the Bills can do now is prepare for how they will approach the Patriots this coming season now that they have a new element to their offense.Â
That’s where new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will have to show how he can approach stopping New England’s offense, which won't be an easy task. One factor that does help is the Leonhard was a defensive back himself in the NFL, and he spent time on the Broncos' coaching staff working with their secondary. But still, he's now in charge of the entire defense.
Jim Leonhard falls on wrong side of A.J. Brown-Patriots trade
"All three of New England's divisional foes enter the season with new directors on defense: Buffalo's Jim Leonhard, Miami's Sean Duggan and New York's Brian Duker, who are all first-time defensive coordinators in the NFL to boot. Looking at the rosters for the Bills, Dolphins and Jets, none of those teams possess the prototypical lockdown cornerback that could negate Brown's presence, which should excite Patriots OC Josh McDaniels." said Baca.
Michael Baca from NFL.com listed the winners and losers from the Patriots trading for Brown, and one of the losers that was listed by Baca were the AFC East coordinators (Jim Leonhard, Brian Duker, and Sean Duggan) because all of them are first-time defensive coordinators in this league.Â
Duker and Duggan joined staffs that have a defensive-minded head coach, so they won’t be in full control of the defense in New York and Miami. As for Leonhard, he is solely in charge as Joe Brady will be focused on calling the offensive plays and the overall game management.
While Leonhard will have some growing pains as a first time coordinator, it’s important to note that Leonhard was well-respected within Denver and he was bound to be a defensive coordinator sooner than later. Him getting a chance with a team that needs the help on defense is a perfect opportunity for him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google