The Buffalo Bills will be hiring Gill Byrd as their defensive backs coach according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News and FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez. Byrd, 55, is the father of former Bills Pro Bowler Jairus Byrd, now of the New Orleans Saints. Byrd was also a Pro Bowl defensive back himself, making the squad twice during a ten-year career with the San Diego Chargers.
Byrd has been coaching the in the NFL since 2003, serving in a variety of roles with the St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His most recent job was in Tampa, where he spent two years coaching the secondary under new Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
With the hire, Sean McDermott now has all of his position coaches for the 2017 season. While he could hire another assistant or two, the core of the staff is in place. Byrd is the 18th coach on McDermott’s staff, a number that trends well below the mid-to-high 20’s that Rex Ryan kept during his two years with the team but is in line with league norms.