The Las Vegas Raiders’ defense has undergone a lot of changes during the offseason, including at the top of the coaching staff. Rob Leonard was promoted from defensive line coach/run game coordinator to defensive coordinator, where he inherits a unit that could have up to seven new starters on it compared to last season. That creates some projects that Leonard will have to work on between now and September 13.
Establishing Coverage Identity
From a game plan or philosophy standpoint, this will be the most interesting aspect of Leonard’s
scheme to keep tabs on during the early stages of the season. He doesn’t have experience coaching the secondary, and his biggest mentor is his predecessor, Patrick Graham.
Does that mean the Raiders will continue to run the same or similar coverages as the last four years? Graham ranked in the 48th percentile for passing yards allowed and 29th in interceptions during his tenure in Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Reference. Those numbers aren’t exactly inspiring, so maybe Leonard pivots to a different coverage scheme moving forward.
This could be a situation where he leans heavily on pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Joe Woods, who relied fairly heavily on a man coverage as the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinators compared to Graham’s zone-heavy scheme. The question is, do the Silver and Black have the talent at cornerback to line up and play man-to-man frequently?
Developing Nose Tackle
If Leonard does plan to follow through with the pivot to a 3-4 base defense, there’s a big hole in the middle of Vegas’ defensive line. Nose tackle was one of the unit’s biggest needs heading into last month’s draft, but the front office didn’t address it until the seventh round.
The good news is that the Raiders do have some young defensive tackles who can fill the void, and this is in the former d-line coach’s wheelhouse. So, he has some players to work with between J.J. Pegues, Brandon Cleveland, Gary Smith III and Laki Tasi. However, all of them need development, especially Tasi, who had never played the sport until last year.
Granted, Leonard could turn to veterans Benito Jones or Adam Butler as a holdover for a year. But neither of those two offers much long-term value, and they were bad run defenders a year ago.
Maximizing non-Crosby Pass-Rushers
Another project that’s right up the defensive coordinator’s alley. He’s done well developing pass-rushers like Malcolm Koonce and K’Lavon Chaisson in Las Vegas, and Leonard will need to continue that trend moving forward.
Koonce could fill the complementary pass-rush role opposite Maxx Crosby next season, but Koonce still needs some development since he didn’t look the same in 2025 after missing the 2024 campaign with a torn ACL. Also, he only re-signed to a one-year deal, and the team’s primary goal this season is to build for the future.
That could shift Leaonard’s attention to getting the most out of Kwity Paye and Keyron Crawford. Paye’s been a productive pass-rusher in the past with 30.5 sacks over five seasons, but he’s coming off a down year and has some untapped athleticism to become a more consistent winner on third downs. Meanwhile, Crawford is a big ball of clay, who has a basketball background and has only been playing football for five years.
Of course, getting some interior pass-rush production out of young defensive tackles Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker IV and Tonka Hemingway should be on Leonard’s list of projects, too.
Finding Homes for Versatile DBs
The front office made several additions to the Raiders’ secondary this offseason and made versatility a priority, especially during the draft. Having players who can play multiple positions is a good problem to have, but the issue is figuring out how all of the pieces to the puzzle fit together.
For example, Treydan Stukes was primarily a nickelback at Arizona, but the organization traded for Taron Johnson to man the slot. So, does that mean Stukes takes over at free safety, and Isaiah Pola-Mao rides the bench? Or is there another spot/role where Pola-Mao can fit into? And then, how does that impact Jeremy Chinn, Dalton Johnson, and the rest of the secondary? That doesn’t even include the cornerback rotation or position battle on the perimeter between Eric Stokes, Darien Porter and Jermod McCoy.
Again, this is a good problem to have. But figuring out where every defensive back fits best and how that impacts the rest of the defense will be an interesting decision and balancing act for Leonard.
Establishing Coverage Linebacker
The Raiders revamped their linebacker room during free agency, signing Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to be the team’s projected starters this season. While those two are good additions, they’re both better run defenders than coverage backers. And the two holdovers from the 2025 campaign, Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg, are in the same boat.
To be fair, Dean is good at closing in coverage to limit gains on checkdowns. However, at 5-foot-11 and 231 pounds, his lack of size/length makes it difficult for him to cover tight ends or take away the middle of the field in coverage. Also, he’s a good pass-rusher for an off-ball linebacker and offers more value as a blitzer.
Walker might be Leonard’s best chance at getting a quality coverage linebacker out of the current roster. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds with a 9.63 Relative Athletic Score coming out of Georgia, the former Bulldog has the size and athleticism to be good in coverage. But he had several coverage busts with the Green Bay Packers, failing to maximize his potential in that phase of the game with Green Bay. So, if Leonard can work with Walker on the mental part of the game, the latter could develop into the player many thought he would be as a prospect.
