Raiders new head coach Pete Carroll said he wants to retain some current staff in Las Vegas. That plan should start with DC Patrick Graham.
Newly minted Raiders head coach Pete Carroll would like a mixture of coaches on his staff. That is to say some he knows, some he doesn’t, and some returning from the Raiders current staff.
He’s already working on bringing in coaches who have been on his previous staff, holding an interview with his former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. But that’s only part of the puzzle.
“I’m hoping that we can maintain some of the terrific coaches that are on the staff, too, so we can have the benefit of the insights that they bring and the continuity that they can generate for us,” Caroll said at his introductory press conference.
Who they try to keep should start with one man — DC Patrick Graham.
Unmoored by Josh McDaniels after his firing midway through last season, Graham led a resurgence on the Raiders defense. And the rest of the NFL has taken notice.
With Graham’s contract now up, he has gotten several interviews across the league, including this week with the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their defensive coordinator.
It remains to be seen whether, if all things are equal, Graham would prefer a return to the Raiders under Carroll.
It could depend on whether he would be ok with Carroll’s — being a defensive coach — hands-on approach. It could be he’d prefer to be on a staff with an offensive coach so he could have more freedom to run his system on the defensive side of the ball.
Graham’s preferences aside, Carroll would be doing himself a disservice not trying to retain Graham first and foremost.
Keeping Graham would likely mean several of his key position coaches return as well. But even if they are unable to retain Graham, the Raiders should attempt to keep some of his staff. Most notably defensive line coach Rob Leonard.
The Raiders defensive line was one of their strengths the past season and a half. It was led by Maxx Crosby, but didn’t end there, with the likes of Malcolm Koonce and K’Lavon Chaisson seeing breakout years on the other side.
Crosby and the other defensive linemen love Leonard, so it would only strengthen the bond between Carroll and the defense to keep him on staff.
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