Things are starting to come together for the Las Vegas Raiders.
After a disastrous 2024 campaign in which the team won only four games but still failed to get a top five pick in the draft, Mark Davis and his panel of minority owners decided to take the franchise in a different direction.
This involved the firings of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco, and the subsequent hirings of Pete Carroll and John Spytek. With a new head coach and general manager, as well as 27 looming free agents, much of Raider Nation was expecting the roster to be unrecognizable next season.
However, just as I theorized earlier this week, Josina Anderson reported the following:
Breaking: I'm told the #Raiders and Patrick Graham are working on a deal to bring him back as defensive coordinator, per league source.@BovadaOfficial pic.twitter.com/N8yG8uIh8E
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 30, 2025
Bringing back Patrick Graham to serve as the Raiders' defensive coordinator is an incredibly smart move by Carroll and Co.
Not only has the team's defense been its strength for the last few seasons, but having a sense of continuity is always beneficial for an organization.
Graham has a great relationship with the players currently on the team, and his presence increases the likelihood several key defensive free agents resign with Las Vegas as well.
Las Vegas will likely retain much of its defensive staff as well, which would ideally include the highly-touted Rob Leonard. Graham and his crew were able to keep the defense performing at a high level despite the numerous injuries that plagued their unit.
Considering the players' familiarity with Graham and the addition of Carroll, a well-respected defensive mind, this Raiders defense could be among the very best in the league next year.