Las Vegas Raiders bring Patrick Graham back as a defensive coordinator, according to a league source.
Graham has been the DC of raids since 2022, but his contract expired at the end of this season. He was initially hired by Josh McDaniels in 2022 and was kept after McDaniels was replaced by Antonio Pierce in 2023. Now Graham will work under his third coach with raiders, Pete Carroll.
Graham interviewed the Jacksonville Jacksonville jaguars shellfish this off -season before hiring Liam Coen last week. The Jaguars subsequently interviewed Graham for their post as defensive coordinator on Tuesday. Graham also interviewed for the role of the defensive coordinator of the Bengals of Cincinnati this offseason. In the end, however, he decided to return to Las Vegas.
Carroll was assisted by the managing director John Spytek to set up his coach staff, according to league sources. It is not uncommon in the NFL, but it represents a change for raiders. Last year, former managing director Tom Telesco was hands with regard to Pierce to fill his staff.
While Carroll will certainly make external additions to the staff of coaches of the raiders, there will be a good part of the continuity due to the conservation of several members of the previous personnel. In addition to Graham, the Raiders also decided to keep the coordinator of the special teams Tom McMahon on Wednesday, according to team sources. Defensive line coach Rob Leonard should also be back in the same role, according to team sources. The coach of the corner of the corner Ricky Manning Jr. could also be back, according to a source of the league. Manning has already worked under Carroll and was the assistant coach of the 2016-2017 Seahawks files. With Leonard and McMahon, he was present at the press conference of Carroll and Spytek on Monday.
Carroll and Graham never worked together, but Carroll clearly said that it would not be a prerequisite for the coaches he hired for his staff.
“I am really looking for people who have been with me, who understand philosophy to some extent. I want (also) guys who have never been around me before, “said Carroll on Monday. “And then I hope that we can maintain some of the great coaches who are also one of the staff, so that we can benefit from the ideas they bring and the continuity they can generate for us.”
Graham checks two of these boxes. Raiders took a difficult start in the first year of Graham as DC in 2022 and finished 26th in score defense, but they have improved since then. They made a huge jump in 2023 and finished ninth in defense. They finished only 25th in defense score in 2024, but that was largely due to the loss of five starters against long -term injuries: the defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, the defensive platform Christian Wilkins, the Half of Jakorian Bennett corner and security Marcus Epps.
Even with these injuries, the defense improved over the season. Crosby suffered an ankle injury at the end of the season during the week 14. Since week 15, the raiders have only granted 18.3 points per game (sixth in the NFL).
Graham has an all-ball personality, but he is much appreciated by key players on the list like Crosby and Wilkins. It corresponds to the archetype of what Carroll is looking for.
“We want people in the ball. We want guys who love the game, ”said Carroll. “In addition, it is important to find people who can help us grow and challenge us. … I need people to keep myself on the right track. As you can see, I am quite justified and I will go. I need people to keep myself balanced.
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(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
