Las Vegas Raiders fans were left with a bad taste in their mouths after the first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. And a big reason for that uneasy feeling was Rob Leonard's defense, as the unit looked completely lost and inept against what most consider a poor Cardinals offense.
But we warned fans not to be too hard on Leonard, as the Raiders were clearly playing a vanilla defense. Plus, it was his first time ever calling plays, so there should definitely be a grace period, especially in an exhibition game. Some fans, however, were raking him over the coals.
And those frustrations deepened when reports from joint practice with the Houston Texans indicated that the same issues were popping up the following week. However, Leonard's group rebounded in a major, major way. He turned fans' early frustrations into expectations for the 2026 NFL season.
Raiders fans are now expecting a lot from defense after initial tumbles
During the team's second preseason game against the Texans, the Raiders made massive strides in two key areas: Run defense and pass rush. Of course, an obvious tentacle of that was the coverage on the back end of the unit faring much better as well.
The defensive line depth showed up in a major way, too. Neither of Las Vegas' groups up front is particularly star-ridden or top-heavy, but the more depth and versatility Leonard's unit can show, the better. It'll take the young coach getting creative with pressure simulations and freeing players up.
That is precisely what Leonard showed down in Houston, reaching deeper into his bag of tricks after his side of the ball had a rough outing. They got after the Texans' quarterbacks and forced two fumbles while completely shutting down the run and giving up almost no chunk plays through the air.
It was more of the same against the San Francisco 49ers last Thursday, as although the run defense and pass rush lagged a bit again, the numbers don't give a true indication of the impact that Leonard's group had. They gave up a lot, sure, but they came through when they needed to.
Las Vegas gave up just 18 points in the contest on six field goals, meaning they held the 49ers' offense out of the end zone on all three of their red zone appearances. The Raiders came through on their half of the field when they needed to most, showing great resilience.
All of a sudden, after two strong preseason showings, Raider Nation is expecting this defense to fully hold up its end of the bargain and play complementary football with an offense that'll try to pound the ball on the ground and eat up clock.
After getting reprimanded for his first few outings, Leonard now has his unit in a place where they have serious expectations. And that's a good thing, as pressure is a privilege, and it means that the group has potential that the fanbase can clearly see.
Oh, and Maxx Crosby hasn't even played a down yet. And Leonard still has more tools in his toolbox.
So, don't expect this Raiders defense to be top-of-the-line during the 2026 NFL season, but expect them to have some big moments and put up more of a fight than last year. Again, Leonard is a first-year DC, and Las Vegas has tons of new pieces that need to meld together.
But the potential is there, and this fanbase expects them to eventually reach that ceiling. More pieces should be added next offseason and in the coming years, but Leonard and Co. have enough to get the job done right away, which may have sounded crazy to say just a few weeks ago.
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