Bills DC Bobby Babich will receive a look as a signal-caller

Leslie Frazier was the Bills’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022, but he was absent from the team last season and did not return for the upcoming campaign. Buffalo has a replacement in place (Bobby Babich), but it remains to be seen whether he will announce any games.

Babich – promoted from linebackers coach in January – has been with the team since 2017 and has drawn interest from outside coordinators during the 2024 hiring cycle. This gig in Buffalo, however, represents his first assignment to DC in the NFL, and Babich did not call a defense at either the college or professional level at this point in his career.

The head coach Sean McDermott called the games last year, and he said earlier this month that a final decision wouldn’t be made on that front until at least training camp. Regardless of which direction the team takes, the coach who guides the unit will face considerable expectations. Unsurprisingly, though, Babich will get a chance to handle playing duties this summer before McDermott chooses to hand over the reins or repeat his 2023 workload.

“I’m going to be intentional about making sure, whether it’s practices or preseason games, that Bobby gave that opportunity,” McDermott said, via Tim Graham of The Athletic (subscription required). “So the question is when and for how long.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if Babich serves as a referee during Buffalo’s exhibition games, in addition to training camp practices. McDermott has plenty of experience in this regard, dating back to his own tenures in DC, and he guided the Bills to a fourth-place finish in scoring defense last year. The team has generally performed well on that side of the ball during the McDermott era (although their playoff performances haven’t matched those in the regular season), and his familiarity with the role could help as a transition to many new faces takes place in 2024.

The tastes of Tre’Davious White, Leonard Floyd, Tyrel Dodson, Jordan Poyer and (at least for now) Micah Hyde are no longer present in Buffalo’s defense. One of the team’s main storylines will be their ability to fill the vacancies created by these absences, and the decision on the player’s name will of course be a key topic to follow over the summer. Babich will receive at least a brief preview before McDermott makes a final decision.