We have another report of the Raiders actually interviewing someone for their vacant defensive coordinator position. It is that of former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard.
This according to multiple reports, as first reported by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora and later confirmed by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Can confirm the @Raiders have interviewed both Gus Bradley and Kris Richard for the open defensive coordinator job.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) January 8, 2021
He joins former Chargers DC Gus Bradley as those who have interviewed for the Raiders opening.
Richard didn’t coach in the NFL last season, which meant the Raiders didn’t need to ask any team permission to interview him, making that part of the process nice and easy. And, for those wondering, his interview also means the Raiders have satisfied the Rooney Rule.
Most recently, Richard was the defensive backs coach in Dallas from 2018-19 under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli who was the Raiders defensive line coach last season and who took over as the interim DC for the final three games after the firing of Paul Guenther.
Before Richard’s time as the defensive back coach in Dallas, he had spent eight years with the Seahawks, with the final three as the defensive coordinator from 2015-17. In those years his defenses were ranked second, fifth, and 11th respectively. Prior to that, he was credited with overseeing the ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary as the team’s defensive backs coach.
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