NY’s Orchard Park According to sources who spoke with Syracuse.com, the Buffalo Bills and veteran defensive backs coach John Butler have amicably decided to part ways.
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Butler was the defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills after moving from Houston in 2018. In February 2022, he received a promotion to pass game coordinator for the defense. In Buffalo’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he coordinated plays for the defense, but linebackers coach Bobby Babich—who was the assistant safeties coach in 2018—passed him over for the position of defensive coordinator. After his father, Bob Babich, retired after the 2021 season, Babich was elevated to the position of safeties coach and subsequently assumed leadership of the linebackers’ room.
Butler has been replaced by 39-year-old Jahmile Addae. On Wednesday, the Bills announced the hiring of the former secondary coach of the Miami Hurricanes to lead their cornerbacks. After working as the defensive backs coach for Georgia in 2021, Addae has spent the last two seasons in Miami.
The Bills also said that Ronald Curry, a passing game coordinator and former quarterback coach for the New Orleans Saints, would be their new quarterback coach. Curry started his coaching career as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers and has been with the Saints since 2016. After playing basketball and football at North Carolina, he was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. With the Raiders, he switched from being a quarterback in college to a wide receiver, and he ended his career with 13 receiving touchdowns. While in New Orleans, he also coached wide receivers.
Since the former Florida product joined the league, Kaiir Elam, a first-round selection pick by the Bills in 2022, and Butler have never appeared to agree on anything. After the Bills’ divisional round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in January, Elam held a locker room cleaning and vented his frustrations about a dismal second season.
Elam claimed to have had a fantastic offseason, but he was only able to participate in three regular season games (two starts) and lost the competition for the starting number-two cornerback slot.
Elam said, “No comment,” when asked how much he relies on Butler, the now-former DBs coach.
He continued, “I wasn’t there for my team in terms of health.” “I honestly wasn’t able to sprint or blow up. It offered the individual who chose not to play me greater power. Simply said, I believe that once I was fit, I was able to demonstrate my ability to play well and take the ball away at a high level. I’m going to keep putting in a lot of effort and trying to improve. All I can do is that.”
Additionally, the Bills declared that Christian Taylor has joined the team as a defensive quality control coach.
