Amid an off-season already headlined by change, Essendon has bid farewell to one of its highly valued assistant coaches.

Leigh Tudor, who had been coaching the Bombers' VFL outfit since the start of the 2021 season, is understood to have departed Tullamarine following the conclusion of this year's campaign, with Essendon's reserves side unable to qualify for finals after finishing in 17th position.

Prior to commencing his VFL responsibilities over two years ago, Tudor was initially appointed at the Hangar in 2019 to play a key role in assisting Essendon's development program.

The veteran assistant had accrued a wealth of AFL coaching experience before arriving at Essendon; enjoying stints with Geelong, St Kilda, and Sydney, before accepting a role on North Melbourne's coaching panel under current coach Brad Scott. He stayed in that position for seven years.

Essendon football boss Daniel McPherson thanked Tudor for his four years of service to the club.

"'Lurka' has brought great coaching experience to Essendon at a time when the club has had an increased focus on development. With more than 15 years coaching experience across four clubs, Leigh's insight and experience has been valuable to our VFL program," McPherson said as part of a club release on Thursday.

"We thank Lurka for his coaching of our young developing players and our next generation of coaches and wish him all the best for the future."

Tudor's departure is the latest in a quickly-forming line of Essendon exits to begin the off-season, joining a trio of Bombers who were delisted earlier in the week; Alastair Lord, Rhett Montgomerie, and Cian McBride, while utility James Stewart is also expected to not receive a new Essendon contract for next season.

Forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and ruckman Andrew Phillips also ceased their Tullamarine tenures this year after announcing their respective retirements at the back end of the season.

Key defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher is expected to depart Essendon this year via trade, while assistant coach Daniel Giansiracusa could also exit to pursue Richmond's head-coaching opportunity.

While it seems a bevy of figures are filing out the door, midfielder Darcy Parish is thought to be on the verge of resolving his contract standstill with the Bombers, while North Melbourne free agent Ben McKay could call the Hangar home next season.