The Denver Broncos and Sean Payton are reportedly expected to add former Wisconsin football defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to their staff to coach the secondary, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.
It is a significant hire for Sean Payton to add Jim Leonhard to the Broncos' defensive staff. Leonhard had many advocates with Wisconsin to be the head coach of the football program after Paul Chryst was dismissed, but eventually Luke Fickell was hired.
Leonhard was the defensive coordinator with Wisconsin from 2017-2022, and spent last year with the Illinois football program as an analyst.
Now, Leonhard will have a bigger role than analyst under Payton with the Broncos, working with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. While Vance Joseph was a controversial hire for Payton, hiring the old head coach for Denver, the unit progressed throughout the season. The unit will look to progress even more with Leonhard in the fold.
The Broncos have more uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball heading into the offseason, as there is a decision looming with Russell Wilson, who was benched at the end of the season. The expectation has been that the Broncos will move on from Russell Wilson, but it might be tough to find a replacement with where Denver is positioned in the NFL Draft.
It will be interesting to see who is under center for Denver come Week 1 next season. Regardless, Leonhard will try to strengthen a defensive group that showed some promise as the season went on in 2023 under Joseph.
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