At the conclusion of the Buffalo Bills’ 2023 NFL season, the Chicago Bears hired associate head coach/defensive line Eric Washington to replace the defensive coordinator position. That meant that head coach Sean McDermott would have to appoint a new defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills.
On Friday, February 2, Marcus West was officially named the Buffalo Bills’ new defensive line coach. West receives a promotion after joining One Bills Drive as assistant defensive line coach in 2022.
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West joined the football coaching ranks in 2008 and has previous experience as a defensive tackle in the NFL, NFL Europe, and CFL.
Marcus West’s professional football career began with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. Following one season in the NFL, West transferred to NFL Europe and the Amsterdam Admirals in 2007, before settling with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL that same year.
After two years in the pros, West began his coaching career at Wartburg College as the defensive line coach in 2008. The following year, West joined the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga as defensive line coach, a position he would occupy for seven seasons (2009-2015).
Following his time at Tennessee, West accepted the multi-disciplinary position of assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Austin Peay State University for two seasons (2016-2017).
The 49ers’ quest for another last-second miracle merits a thorough rewind.
The University of Minnesota hired West as the Golden Gophers’ defensive line pass rush specialist in 2018. West took one last trip in the college ranks with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach (2019-2021).
Marcus West’s first journey into NFL coaching occurred when head coach Sean McDermott hired him as the team’s assistant defensive line coach ahead of the 2022 NFL season. He shared that job with Eric Washington throughout the team’s previous two seasons.
When West’s promotion was announced, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones turned to social media to congratulate him and share his opinions.
“Congratulations to the man! He’ll be one of the best defensive line coaches this league has ever seen. His mindfulness is exceptional, and I can’t wait to see his career flourish.”
