Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Leslie Frazier is planning on taking a year off from coaching in 2023. The team made the announcement on Tuesday, along with a number of other coaching staff changes ahead of next season.
"Last week was kind of a week that we gave everyone off in the office coaches were away. During that time, Leslie reached out and just talked through some things," said Bills general manager Brandon Beane while speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. "Ultimately, he doesn't want to retire, he's not there in his mind, but he just wanted to take a step back. So, the way we left it, he's gonna take 2023 off, but talking to him, he has full plans to return to coaching in 2024."
Frazier has been with the Bills since head coach Sean McDermott was hired back in 2017. He was also given the role of assistant head coach on McDermott's staff prior to the 2020 season.
Under Frazier and McDermott's tutelage in Buffalo, the Bills defense has finished as a top-three unit in the NFL in three of the last four seasons.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Frazier had texted him in a response to whether or not he would be back in Buffalo for the 2024 season by simply saying, "Just taking a break."
Beane says that McDermott and the rest of the coaching staff is trying to determine how they divvy up defensive play calling duties for the 2023 season. However, Beane notes that McDermott will take the lead on that process.
"It's still very early in the offseason. It's not on the offensive side of the ball, it's on the defense," Beane said. "We feel we've got some really good minds in that room with Bobby Babich, we added Al Holcomb, John Butler, Eric Washington, we just added Joe Danna. So I feel like we've got some really good minds in there. Adding Sean in there, as well, I'm sure he'll be even more hands-on at this point."
The Bills also announced the hiring of Al Holcomb as their senior defensive assistant on the coaching staff. Holcomb also served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach with the Carolina Panthers.
Holcomb was also on the defensive staff with McDermott in Carolina.
Among the other coaching staff updates announced by the Bills on Tuesday includes:
- Austin Gund named an offensive assistant/offensive line coach.
- Adam Henry named the wide receivers coach.
- Kyle Shurmur named an offensive quality control coach.
