Bills Hire Coach Al Holcomb as Senior Defensive Assistant

Al Holcomb was the interim defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers before joining the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

The Buffalo Bills’ movement amongst the defensive staff continued on Wednesday when they added Al Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant, per NFL Network.

Buffalo also hired Joe Danna as its safeties coach on Feb. 2.

Holcomb became the Carolina Panthers’ interim defensive coordinator and assistant head coach after they fired former head coach Matt Rhule and former defensive coordinator Phil Snow during the season. In the 12 games that Holcomb ran Carolina’s defense, the Panthers allowed 21 points per game, which improved from just over 24 points per game before he took over.

The Panthers defense ranked 22nd in total yards, 22nd in passing yards, 18th in rushing yards and 19th in points scored.

Holcomb crossed paths with Bills coach Sean McDermott from 2013-2017 in Carolina as the linebackers coach.

The Panthers finished 7-10 and were a game away from winning the NFC South, but lost 30-24 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 1.

Holcomb also had a stint as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and was the Cleveland Browns’ linebackers coach in 2019.

Buffalo’s defense could potentially look a lot different in 2023 with Jordan Poyer and Tremaine Edmunds set to be free agents. Poyer was tied for 11th in the league with four interceptions, broke up eight passes defended and 63 tackles. Edmunds led the Bills with 102 total tackles, six of which were for a loss. He also had seven passes defended and one sack.

The loss of Poyer or Edmunds would be a huge blow to a defense that has been one of the league’s best in recent years.

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