Although a lot has changed for the Las Vegas Raiders over the last few tumultuous years, the defense really hasn't. That's because defensive coordinator Patrick Graham somehow survived four seasons under three different head coaches, even if his résumé didn't really back up keeping him around.
Graham was far from the main issue in Las Vegas, and his defenses weren't necessarily bad. They just weren't modern or game-changing. And they were even worse when Pete Carroll started meddling. But it's a new age for that side of the ball in Las Vegas with Rob Leonard now at the helm.
In terms of play style, Leonard clearly wants this unit to be full of ballhawks, which they're already showcasing during OTAs. When it comes to their scheme and approach, though, the Raiders' defensive coaches aren't hiding what they want to do, either. And it's because they don't have to.
Las Vegas Raiders' defensive versatility could make them special in 2026
After the 2026 NFL Draft, it seemed like the Silver and Black were angling to have a defense built on versatility, specifically in the secondary. With so many chess pieces back there, Leonard and Co. could live in nickel and dime packages or disguise their concepts with so many moving parts.
But for a first-year defensive coordinator who comes from no shortage of strong, albeit different coaching trees, nobody knew exactly what to expect from Leonard, outside of Klint Kubiak telling reporters that the Raiders will run out of a 3-4 base.
And Leonard is reveling in that, as he told reporters when asked about his inexperience insulating the team from being scouted effectively, at least in the early going.
"It's great," Leonard laughed. "I mean, it is great because [we're] trying to keep an advantage. You know what I'm saying?"
That said, it didn't take long for Leonard to start spilling state secrets, though. Luckily for Las Vegas, the crux of their defense is such that these secrets will tell you what the goal is, but they don't exactly give you any clues as to how to solve the puzzle.
"It's always important," Leonard said of his defense being multiple and versatile. "It's a matchup league. You can't outscheme people all day. And that's really important. But at the same time, you have to be careful with progression of bringing players along. If you think they can handle one or two spots, well, maybe we just start them off with one spot and then with the vision to build that way. But being multiple is important."
Joe Woods, who was the defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach a year ago, but stayed on with Leonard's staff, also met with reporters on Tuesday. He spoke at length about the importance of versatility as well.
"That's the key," Woods said. "When you have guys that have versatility, it allows you to do so much more things defensively. Different packages, how you can move guys around on the field. So, like I said, we're excited about it."
Woods went into a bit more depth with ESPN's Ryan McFadden about the benefits of said versatility.
"It gives us the chance to dictate what we're doing, where the offense doesn't have a beat on it," Woods explained. "It's something we're going to continue [to do], and if we have the right players, there'll be some packages that we can use throughout the season to help us."
Jeremy Chinn, Treydan Stukes, Isaiah Pola-Mao and Dalton Johnson can line up at multiple different spots. But according to The Athletic's Sam Warren, nickel cornerback Taron Johnson is set to be a versatile piece on this defense as well. Johnson is already working with the safties coach at OTAs.
"[Johnson is] going to provide a lot of flexibility for us in terms of what we can do from a package standpoint," Woods told Warren.
Now, the Raiders' staff seems quite thrilled about the dynamic nature of their defense, particularly in the secondary. They aren't trying to hide this fact, and it is what could make them special. Modern defenses are built on this very idea, and Las Vegas may have the guys to pull it off.
The defensive coaching staff is still excited, however, that Leonard is headed into the year tabula rasa. Nobody around the league can predict what the Silver and Black's concepts will look like because Leonard has a diverse background, as Woods told reporters.
"People will look back and see where he's been and things like that, and they'll have some guesses," Woods admitted. "But I think what we're trying to put together is unique because he's had some influences from different coaches that he's been with and we're kind of putting together our own package. But all the basics are there, and we just keep building on different aspects of the defense. So, it's going to be fun."
Add us as a preferred source on Google