Bills’ former coach may not be on the sidelines for long

Leslie Frazier may not coach for the Buffalo Bills anymore, but he’s not done coaching just yet.

A year out of football may be the best thing for former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier after all.

Frazier decided to step down as the Bills’ defensive coordinator this offseason after having been in that role since 2017. He had been an instrumental part in Buffalo’s turnaround under defensive-minded head coach Sean McDermott. While the Bills wish him the best in his year away from football, Frazier is 64 years old. We have to wonder if he will ever be an NFL head coach again.

ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg wrote about how Frazier will be one of 40 participants in the league’s Coaching Accelerator program, designed to help minority candidates get their head-coaching opportunities faster. Frazier is a proven defensive coordinator, but we are coming up on a decade since he last led his own team. He was the Minnesota Vikings‘ head coach from 2011 to 2013.

Though only five teams changed head coaches this offseason, Frazier is making a bold move here.

Leslie Frazier is taking a year away from football to become an NFL head coach

Look. I think the two biggest issues working against Frazier to get another head-coaching opportunity with the Bills were that he is in his mid-60s and worked under a defensive-minded head coach. The former issue is obvious, as most people retire from working around Frazier’s age already. However, the latter may have been working against him more than we initially thought…

For example, Brian Daboll was able to get the New York Giants job because he was seen as the offensive architect of the Josh Allen era of Bills football. Yes, McDermott is the head coach, but Daboll called the plays and developed this former Wyoming bucking bronco into a top-five quarterback in the game today in a matter of years. Frazier didn’t have that working for him here.

I think what going to the Coaching Accelerator program does for Frazier is it not only helps him show he is serious about getting his own team again one day, but also that he can be an advocate for those in the room still seeking their first opportunity in the big chair. Frankly, if Frazier wants to be a head coach again, he needs to go to a team needing a defensive overhaul on an offensive staff.

It has to be the right fit for him going forward, but we should anticipate more than five openings.