Raiders must turn to OC immediately after naming new GM and HC

At this point, it feels like a foregone conclusion that the Las Vegas Raiders plan to name Champ Kelly general manager, and Antonio Pierce head coach. The Raiders went through the interview process over the past few days, and both men are the leading contenders to take over permanently after being given interim titles last season.

Pierce and Kelly helped bring the Raiders season back to life after being named to the roles, as Kelly did a nice job adding piece, including cornerback Jack Jones. In Pierce, the Raiders finally have a true leader of men at the helm, and both the fans and players rallied around him getting the job this offseason.

Once the Raiders officially name Kelly and Pierce to their roles, they must immediately turn their focus to who will be the team's offensive coordinator in 2024. Bo Hardegree took over from Mick Lombardi in an interim role after the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler, and Lombardi, but he likely is not ready to take over in a full-time role next season.

Raiders must focus on adding their OC immediately

Luckily for the Raiders, there are some solid candidates for the role this offseason, and Kelly needs to hit the ground running to fill that vacancy as his first order of business. Las Vegas already has an elite coordinator on the defensive side of the ball, and the hope is that they can get Patrick Graham to return for another go-around in 2024.

Graham has been a hot commodity this offseason, interviewing for head coaching roles, so hopefully the bond between he and Pierce is strong enough to keep him in the Silver and Black for at least next season.

Looking around at the offensive coordinator opening, Eric Bieniemy could be an option after a season in Washington. Zac Robinson from Los Angeles is another name to keep an eye on, as he looks to be the next coach to fall from Sean McVay's coaching tree, while Klint Kubiak is another pass game coordinator who could be in demand for an OC role in 2024 as well.

Of course, Kliff Kingsbury was rumored earlier this week as a potential OC for the Raiders, and that is another big name that Kelly and his staff should at least reach out to. If the Raiders can get it right at OC, they will go into next season with a solid coaching staff at the helm of what could be a playoff-caliber roster in Las Vegas.

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