A different energy and sense of urgency in training camp?
Stop me if you’ve heard that before.
The Las Vegas Raiders are heading in a new direction under rookie head coach Klint Kubiak. And the hackneyed phrase of new energy and sense of urgency accompanies that, of course.
Acknowledged as one of the game’s top offensive minds with the play calling acumen to match the creative concoctions, it’s difficult to ignore the newness and overall excitement as the Silver & Black prep for Kubiak’s inaugural year
helming a football program — his first experience of such magnitude as he heads into Year 13 in the NFL.
By all accounts thus far, the Raiders coaching staff — that Kubiak assembled — is zeroed in on putting players in the best possible position to succeed.
Defensive coordinator Leonard is installing an aggressive and high-energy defense that boasts a 3-4 defensive front in base formations, a departure from the four-man base fronts the Raiders deployed previously. It’s a bold maneuver by a rookie defensive play caller, but drastic measures are often dialed up to turnaround an impotent group.
Leonard’s goal is to have his defense attacking the ball (reckless abandon is fine with the defensive coordinator) that minimizes hesitation and allows his defenders to relentlessly pursue and swarm ball carriers.
Talk about putting players in the position to succeed.
That’s not only the way Las Vegas’ elite edge rusher Maxx Crosby plays and thrives, that style of play certainly favors safety Jeremy Chinn’s strengths.
By The Numbers
Jeremy Chinn, Safety, 7th Year
- 2025: 15 games (15 starts), 114 total tackles (63 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles; 996 defensive snaps
- Career: (2020-25), 86 games (82 starts), 553 total tackles (348 solo), 22 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 3 interceptions, 24 pass deflections, 6 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries; 4,970 defensive snaps, 593 special teams snaps
Standing 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Chinn is one of a handful of safeties in the league who have imposing size. The 28-year-old joined Las Vegas last offseason on a two-year, $16.258 million deal ($12.25 million guaranteed) to bolster the loss of Tre’Von Moehrig (Carolina Panthers). And, in a funny twist, Chinn (the Panthers’ second-round pick (64th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft) notched the second most total tackles (114) in his initial year wearing Silver & Black as a 15-game starter.
Notching 996 snaps (100 percent of the defensive snaps Chinn was available), the Southern Illinois’ product brought physicality and versatility to the Patrick Graham-led defense in 2025. With Graham now the defensive boss for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Leonard now in charge of the Raiders defense, Chinn provided insight on the change during minicamp in June.
“Yeah, I’m super excited for this defense,” Chinn said after one of the team’s sessions. “Just the different looks, and I don’t want to get into too much detail, but like the different fronts and stuff that we’ll be able to do and incorporate, it’ll just allow me to play a little bit more free and play downhill to the ball.”
“I mean, it’s big when it comes down to the style of play, which is really what football is about at the end of the day,” Chinn added when asked about being able to play fast without working about mistakes. “It allows us, like you said, to play fast, play physical, and not have to think too much.”
Leonard’s is slated to deploy a fluid scheme that blends elements of coaches he’s learned from — this includes Seattle Seahawks head coach and defensive play caller Mike Macdonald, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Kansas City Chiefs defensive boss Steve Spagnuolo, and Graham — to create a player-friendly structure.
Leonard deploying Chinn as a hybrid defender who boasts defensive back speed with linebacker size and hitting ability instead of a traditional deep safety is how he gets the most out of talented Indiana native. In his seven seasons in the league, Chinn is at his best when operating closer to the line of scrimmage as his size, speed, and instincts are maximized as a run defender and tackler while mitigating his less-than-ideal coverage skills. This allows the safety to get hands-on with bigger tight ends from the jump and also gives the Raiders a big nickel look where Chinn drops down in the slot.
Simulated pressures and disguised blitz packages are Macdonald’s, Flores’, and Spagnuolo’s calling cards and Leonard dialing those up in Las Vegas will be intriguing to watch. Chinn showcases prime ability to blitz and provides an extra rusher and run stopper with his size. Dropping Chinn into the box or even feigning with the safety moving back in coverage helps Leonard keep offenses honest and on its toes. And can help generate takeaways — an item the Raiders haven’t created more of.
The closing speed, ability to diagnose, and explosiveness Chinn brings to the mix is best suited this way to ensure a “see ball, get ball” style of aggressiveness. Arriving with ill intent downhill extenuates his strengths while mitigating exposure as a deep-end cover man. Chinn plays much better with clear intent than backpedaling or chasing in coverage.
Which brings us to a key element of Chinn’s game that must be improved: Tackling.
From the defensive line, to linebackers, and the secondary, nary a Raiders unit tackled well the last two seasons. From communication and fundamentals breaking down, to taking poor angles, and going for booming hits instead of proper wrap-up and takedown techniques, Las Vegas had the fifth most whiffs amongst the 32 teams in 2025. In terms of percentage of tackles missed, the Raiders notched the fifth-worst mark at 9.8 percent whiffed while the Cincinnati Bengals (who Pro Football Reference charted with a whopping league-leading 170 missed tackles) whiffed on 13 percent. Chinn had the fourth-most missed tackles on the Raiders with 10.
Chinn certainly amassed volume but improving the entire defense’s tackling form and efficiency ensures Leonard can have his group playing with its hair on fire. The additions of linebacker Quay Walker and slot cornerback Taron Johnson should provide on-field, lead-by-example types in proper tackling technique, and that becoming infectious to the entire group alongside coaching from Leonard and his defensive assistance should chart a better course.
Adding versatile defensive back Treydan Stukes bolsters the Raiders backend coverage ability. Add into that Kubiak’s mantra of players being able to play at multiple positions, the days of seeing Chinn isolated in coverage should become less and less with more talent infused on Las Vegas roster.
