Immediately after his football team lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-17 this past Sunday, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak was naturally asked about potential changes to a defense that’s now given up 30 or more points in six straight games.
“We will look at the film, and we will make our decisions when we have cooler heads,” the rookie head coach said combating the need to make any rash decisions.
Cooler heads prevailed and on Monday, Kubiak expressed confidence in his chosen rookie defensive
coordinator Rob Leonard and emphatically shut the door on any changes in that regard.
“No, I don’t. In fact, I see us doing the things we said we were going to do better. Stand behind Rob (Leonard). Stand behind our defensive staff. Stand behind our players,” Kubiak said during his Monday media availability. “And I think the world wants someone’s head on a platter every time things don’t go right. But the way that I see it is that we brought people here for a reason, to get a job done and develop players for the long haul, and that’s where we’re going.”
Kubiak’s decision to stand behind Leonard, the defensive staff, and the players on that side of the ball likely draws mixed feelings from Raider Nation.
After all, Las Vegas tied a modern-era NFL record of six-straight games allowing 30 or more points and team is ranked dead-last out of the 32 teams in: Points allowed (268), yards allowed (3,469), rushing yards yielded (1,361), and first downs given up (208).
Being the caboose in the league in those categories isn’t a recipe for success, it’s a blueprint in ineptitude.
Which beckons a question: Is there a quick fix to the Silver & Black’s defensive woes?
An emphatic no, is the answer.
Even if Kubiak decided to part ways with Leonard nine games into his initial tenure as an NFL defensive coordinator, the underlying issues remain — no matter who is promoted to interim play caller status. The cauldron of misery is a mix of both schematic and roster issues and it continues to simmer in a piping hot boil. There’s a glaring lack of talent — particularly in the trenches at defensive tackle — and no matter what play calls Leonard deploys to make up for that — more man coverage and blitzing — the results are there for everyone to see.
The Raiders are gashed by the run and are habitually beaten through the air. Now it isn’t all bad. Leonard’s group showed sharper execution and focus in the second half in both Weeks 8 and 9 by rising to the occasion against the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday.
But the moments of efficiency are too fleeting.
And this shouldn’t be a surprise for folk who watched the offseason.
Yes, the Raiders are in rebuild mode. Yes, the talent gaps weren’t going to be filled in one offseason. And yes, it’ll take the coaching staff time to truly integrate their philosophy on a roster that’s going through natural turnover during this early phase of the Kubiak era. But the expected growing pains shouldn’t absolve folk of criticism— from Kubiak, Leonard, and general manager John Spytek and Co.
The ownership of a historically woeful defense is a beast of burden that multiple Raiders share.
Listening to linebacker Quay Walker above is encouraging. And it’s true all 11 defenders need to be on the same page on the field — ditto for the coaches and other defenders on the sideline.
Unfortunately for the Walker — the 26-year-old free agent catch who inked a three-year, $40.5 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason — he’s a culprit of not playing as one, communicating, or executing properly in a glaring play against the Niners that left running back Christian McCaffrey wide open for a walk-in touchdown pass. It was a sequence that saw both defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway and Adam Butler dropping into zone coverage, with the former the “closest” defender to CMC.
“It was. Yeah, we did not peel on the halfback,” Kubiak said of the play in particular, noting that play was a situation where another player just had an execution issue. “That was not those guys’ (Hemingway and Butler) job, though.”
That defender is most likely Walker who should’ve have peeled back to cover McCaffrey instead of moving towards San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy.
But amongst the myriad of lowlights, there were highlights from Leonard’s Raiders defense in Week 9. Edge rusher Maxx Crosby dropped Purdy for his fourth sack of the season just before halftime. The play showcases what is possible when all three levels of Las Vegas defense is on point — rush, second level, and backend coverage.
As does the interception by rookie safety Treydan Stukes early in the third quarter.
Kubiak waxes poetic about the culture and standard that he’s continuing to instill upon his Raiders. Former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins — who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings before the NFL trade deadline this past Tuesday for a 2027 third-round pick — helped foster the high-level of play that’s expected to permeate throughout the Raiders’ building.
One can argue keeping Leonard in place creates a lack of accountability as the play under the defensive coordinator falls well below what Kubiak expects from his football team.
On the other hand, Kubiak backing Leonard avoids the toxicity of canning a first-time defensive boss that’s growing into the role much like the head coach who chose him. Publicly backing his much-maligned defensive play caller showcases the head coach’s ability to back an assistant threw serious growing pains.
And that’s what Kubiak will do through the rest of the 2026 campaign. Live with his choice and see if Leonard rises to the occasion or wilts under the pressure. We don’t know what’s being said behind closed doors, perhaps Leonard is on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from Kubiak that never leaves Raiders’ HQ?
Leonard is given a chance to work through the schematic issues. The talent and depth limitations are an offseason item — at the earliest. Las Vegas could dig into the practice squad and elevate 2026 seventh-round pick Brandon Cleveland to the active roster at some point to see if the 6-foot-4 and 315-pound 22-year old can bolster the defensive tackle position, for instance.
But until free agency next March and the 2027 NFL Draft a month later — shoot even a full offseason where Kubiak can scour potential replacements for Leonard — true reinforcements are far beyond the horizon.
In the meantime, a focus on fundamentals with defenders being in position to make plays, execution, and the continued grind is what’s there for Leonard and Kubiak. Las Vegas still ranks in the upper echelon in terms of takeaways with 14 — good for sixth best in the NFL.
And that was the difference maker last Sunday when the 49ers forced turnovers to thwart the Raiders’ offensive attack.
Leonard has his reprieve from Kubiak.
We’ll see if he can become the coach the head coach believes he can be or if he continues to fumble a golden opportunity away.
