Following the conclusion of the Buffalo Bills’ 2023 NFL season, the Chicago Bears hired assistant head coach/defensive line Eric Washington as their new defensive coordinator, creating a vacancy in the Bills’ coaching staff for a defensive line coach.
On Friday, February 2, Marcus West was officially appointed as the Buffalo Bills’ new defensive line coach, marking a promotion for West, who had previously served as the team’s assistant defensive line coach since 2022.
We’ve named Al Holcomb our linebackers coach and Marcus West our defensive line coach!#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/vtln9sRN2g
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) February 2, 2024
Marcus West’s journey in football began in 2006 with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played as a defensive lineman in the NFL. He later transitioned to NFL Europe, joining the Amsterdam Admirals in 2007, followed by a stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL during the same year.
After his playing career, West ventured into coaching, starting as the defensive line coach at Wartburg College in 2008. He then moved to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he served as the defensive line coach for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015.
Following his tenure at UTC, West held multiple coaching roles at Austin Peay State University, including assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach, from 2016 to 2017.
West then transitioned to the University of Minnesota as the Golden Gophers’ defensive line pass rush specialist in 2018, before joining the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach from 2019 to 2021.
In 2022, West entered the NFL coaching realm when he was hired by head coach Sean McDermott as the Buffalo Bills’ assistant defensive line coach, a position he held alongside Eric Washington for two seasons.
Following the announcement of West’s promotion, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones expressed his congratulations and thoughts on the promotion via social media.
Congratulations to this man! He’s going to be one of the best DL coaches this league has seen. His mindfulness is top notch and cannot wait to see his career bear fruit! pic.twitter.com/GBm3EO3VfG
— DaQuan Jones (@RiDQulous_98) February 2, 2024
