Entering his 14th season coaching in the NFL, Bobby Babich begins his first year with the Packers in 2026 as the team's secondary coach/pass game coordinator. Babich (BAB-itch) comes to Green Bay after spending the past nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills, serving as assistant defensive backs coach (2017), safeties coach (2018-21), linebackers coach (2022-23) and defensive coordinator (2024-25).
During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Babich was part of a staff that helped the Bills rank No. 1 in the NFL over that span in total defense (314.6 ypg), passing defense (199.1 ypg), yards allowed per play (5.1), passing yards allowed per attempt (6.50), interceptions (146) and takeaways (240). Buffalo ranked in the top 10 in the league in takeaways and INTs in eight of Babich's nine seasons on the staff and finished in the top 10 in total defense in six of those nine seasons. The Bills were one of only two NFL teams (Indianapolis) to post 20-plus takeaways in each of the last nine seasons (2017-25).
In 2025, Babich helped guide the Bills to a No. 1 league ranking in passing defense as they allowed just 156.9 yards per game, the top single-season mark by the team since 1982 (144.4 ypg). It was the fewest passing yards allowed per game since the 2009 N.Y. Jets (153.7 ypg) and was the sixth-best mark by an NFL club dating back to 2000. Buffalo allowed fewer than 200 net passing yards in 13 games on the season (tied for No. 1 in the NFL), the most by the Bills since 1980 (13). The Bills did not allow a quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards in a game in 2025, the first time Buffalo had accomplished that feat in a season since 2006. Buffalo ranked No. 7 in the NFL last season in total defense (293.1 ypg) and opponent passer rating (79.8) and No. 4 in opponent completion percentage (59.7) and passing yards allowed per attempt (6.24).
In Babich's first season as Buffalo's defensive coordinator in 2024, the Bills ranked No. 3 in the league in takeaways (32), tied for No. 5 in INTs (16) and tied for No. 1 in defensive fumble recoveries (14). Buffalo had seven different players register multiple INTs on the season (tied for No. 1 in the NFL), the most by the Bills in a season since 1962 (seven players). The Bills' 32 takeaways were their most in a season since 2009 (33) and their 16 games with at least one takeaway was the top team mark since 1991 (16). Buffalo finished with a franchise-record plus-24 turnover differential, the top mark by an NFL team since the 2012 New England Patriots (plus-25).
As Buffalo's linebackers coach, Babich helped guide the defense to top-10 rankings in total defense in both 2023 (No. 9, 307.2 ypg) and 2022 (No. 6, 319.1 ypg). LB Terrel Bernard registered career highs for tackles (team-high 143), sacks (6½), tackles for a loss (10), fumble recoveries (three) and INTs (three) under Babich's direction in '23 and became the first NFL player to record 140-plus tackles, six-plus sacks, three-plus fumble recoveries and three-plus INTs in a season dating back to at least 1994. Buffalo ranked No. 3 in the NFL in 2023 in takeaways (30), tied for No. 3 in INTs (18) and No. 4 in sacks (54).
In 2022, Babich worked with LB Matt Milano, who posted 99 tackles (72 solo), 1½ sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, three INTs and 11 passes defensed and earned first-team All-Pro recognition from The Associated Press and his first career Pro Bowl selection. Milano was the only player in the league with 10-plus tackles for a loss, 10-plus passes defensed and three-plus INTs in '22 and was the first Buffalo player to hit those marks in a season dating back to 2000. The Bills were tied for No. 4 in the NFL in both takeaways (27) and INTs (17) and registered multiple takeaways in 10 games, tied for No. 2 in the league in 2022 and the most by Buffalo in a season since 2014 (10).
Babich worked with Buffalo's safeties from 2018-21, helping the Bills rank No. 1 in the league over that span in total defense (303.9 ypg) and passing defense (192.1 ypg), No. 3 in takeaways (106) and tied for No. 3 in INTs (64). Buffalo led the NFL in total defense (272.8 ypg), scoring defense (17.0 ppg) and passing defense (163.0 ypg) and was tied for No. 3 in INTs (19) in 2021. Safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde both recorded five INTs on the season, the lone safety duo in the league to do so in '21, with Poyer earning first-team All-Pro honors and Hyde taking home second-team All-Pro recognition. Poyer became the first Buffalo safety to earn first-team All-Pro honors since Henry Jones in 1992.
Babich's safety group helped the Bills rank No. 3 in total defense (298.3 ypg) and No. 4 in passing defense (195.2 ypg) in 2019 and No. 2 in total defense (294.1 ypg) and No. 1 in passing defense (179.2 ypg) in 2018, the only NFL team to finish in the top five in both categories in 2018 and 2019. The Bills ranked No. 2 in the league in scoring defense (16.2 ppg) in 2019, the team's top mark since 1999 (14.3 ppg), and limited their opponents to 24 points or less in a league-high 15 games on the season. Poyer posted four INTs and a career-high nine tackles for a loss in 2018, the lone NFL player to hit those marks on the season.
Babich spent his first season with the Bills in 2017 as the assistant defensive backs coach, helping Hyde to his first career Pro Bowl selection. Babich worked with Poyer (five INTs, career-high 13 passes defensed), Hyde (five INTs, career-best 13 passes defensed) and CB Tre'Davious White (four INTs, career-high 18 passes defensed) as they became the first teammate trio to each post four-plus INTs and 13-plus passes defensed in the same season since CB Brandon Browner, CB Richard Sherman and S Kam Chancellor did so with the Seattle Seahawks in 2011.
Babich coached at Florida International University in 2016, where he served as the secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator. He spent the previous three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, serving as the assistant secondary/safeties coach in 2015 and the assistant defensive backs coach in 2013-14. Babich was part of a staff that helped the Browns rank No. 1 in the league in 2014 in opponent passer rating (74.1) and opponent completion percentage (57.1) while finishing No. 2 in the NFL in INTs (21), the team's highest total since 2008. CB Joe Haden, S Donte Whitner and S Tashaun Gipson all earned Pro Bowl recognition in '14, marking the first time in franchise history that three defensive backs were selected to the Pro Bowl in the same year. Despite missing the final five games of the season, Gibson ranked No. 2 in the NFL with a career-high six INTs and led the league with 158 INT return yards.
Babich's first NFL experience came with the Carolina Panthers, where he served as an administrative assistant to the coaching staff in 2011 and as a defensive assistant in 2012. Prior to that, Babich was the secondary coach at Eastern Illinois for four seasons (2007-10) and spent one year (2006) as a graduate assistant at Kent State.
Babich played defensive back at North Dakota State (2002-05), where he tied for the team lead in INTs as a senior and was a two-time all-academic selection. His father, Bob, was the head coach at North Dakota State for his freshman season and went on to coach 19 seasons (2003-21) in the NFL as an assistant with the St. Louis Rams (2003), Chicago Bears (2004-12), Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-15), San Diego Chargers (2016) and Buffalo Bills (2017-21).
Babich was born July 30, 1983, in Tulsa, Okla. He and his wife, Lacey, have a daughter, Lainey, and a son, Bray.
