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5 Raiders to benefit considerably from new coaching staff

By John Buhler

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders reacts as he leaves the field after 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders reacts as he leaves the field after 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 25: Zach Ertz No. 86 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to get past Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders after making a catch during the fourth quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 25: Zach Ertz No. 86 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to get past Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders after making a catch during the fourth quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 19-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Safety. West Virginia Mountaineers. Karl Joseph. 2. player. 28.

We saw flashes in year two that safety Karl Joseph could be the dynamic player the Silver and Black covet in the secondary. He was banged up mostly as a rookie in 2016 out of West Virginia. Joseph had his health in 2017 and began to be more than just a heavy hitter in the middle of the Raiders defense last year.

While one could argue that he did get better under former assistant head coach and interim defensive coordinator John Pagano, the Raiders secondary was so bad to begin with that Joseph couldn’t make the leap we all hoped he would. Aiding his growth in year three will be defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and incoming defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley.

Guenther comes from a strong defensive-minded culture in Cincinnati. The Bengals may not be Super Bowl viable, but they have had great players in all three levels of their defense. Cincinnati wins more games than it should due to good schematics in the secondary. Joseph could be the talented player Guenther needs to build his defensive backfield around.

Being able to land Ansley away from the Colorado State Rams defensive coordinator job was huge. He comes from the Nick Saban coaching tree of elite defensive back play. Under Saban’s watch, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been the most disciplined defensive backfield in college football for a decade. Ansley could prove to be the spark needed to turnaround this Raiders secondary. Tapping into Joseph’s Pro Bowl potential would be a great first step.

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