There are reasons to be encouraged about the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense in 2026 as they transition from the Patrick Graham era to Rob Leonard as defensive coordinator.
Not only is Leonard, who had been Las Vegas’ defensive line coach, well respected and has a lot of fans in the building, he Raiders’ loaded on defense in free agency, including adding linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker and they are keeping star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
So, yes, there is reason for optimism.
Yet, there are areas
the unit needs to improve upon this season and that includes on third down and short. According to NFL analyst Warren Sharp, the Raiders allowed a first-down conversion in that situation 68 percent of the time. It was the ninth highest rate in the league. Here is the full list:
So, this is definitely should for Leonard t focus on in his first season running the unit.
In other Raiders’ news:
- Offseason grades: NFL.com offers offseason grades for all 32 teams thus far.
- Steals: SB Nation has the best draft steals of all-time.
