Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to take year off from coaching
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is stepping away from coaching for the 2023 season, the team announced in a news release Tuesday.
The Bills did not specify Frazier's reasoning for stepping away but stated that he planned to return to coaching in 2024.
"Leslie reached out (last week) and just talked through some things," Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine. "Ultimately, he doesn't want to retire. He's not there in his mind. But he just wanted to take a step back."
Beane said the team is "still working through" the process of determining who will replace Frazier as defensive coordinator, but left open the possibility that head coach Sean McDermott, who previously worked as a defensive coordinator, could call plays.
The Bills also announced Tuesday that they had hired Al Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant. Holcomb was promoted to defensive coordinator in Carolina last year following Steve Wilks' appointment as interim head coach. He also worked as Wilks' defensive coordinator in Arizona in 2018.
"We feel we've got some really good minds in that room," Beane said.
Frazier, 63, is perhaps best known for his three seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He has been with the Bills since 2017, leading a defense that has become one of the most consistent and productive units in the NFL.
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Buffalo's success under Frazier has made him a popular head coaching candidate in recent years. According to Paste BN Sports research, he interviewed for four head-coaching vacancies in 2021 and 2022. He did not get an interview this year.
When asked if he anticipates that Frazier's return in 2024 will be with the Bills, Beane said "I don't know that yet."
"(We'll) cross that in 2024," he said.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.