When the Las Vegas Raiders brought in Pete Carroll to be the team's head coach this offseason, the decision was met with plenty of praise. Finally, the Raiders had an established head coach with a winning pedigree and a Super Bowl ring to his name.
Questions did keep popping up about who he would hire for the two coordinator positions, and who would fill out the rest of his staff. This was going to be pivotal for the team's culture-building, and he chose to retain defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and hire Chip Kelly as the offensive play-caller.
Kelly is known to be an offensive savant, but his unique prowess did not translate at his last NFL stop. After initially having success as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he was fired before the end of his third season and had an embarrassing campaign with the San Francisco 49ers afterward.
Ryan Clark thinks that Chip Kelly has changed his approach
Raider Nation has been hoping all offseason that Kelly was the right hire, but the only way that this could be the case is if he dramatically changed his ways. ESPN's Ryan Clark was asked on "The Mina Kimes Show" if he is a believer in Kelly as the offensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
"Yes, I am. He changed," Clark said. "In a day and age where what he started in college football is what everybody does. He had three pros on the outside [at Ohio State] ... There were times where, I'm obviously sitting in the stadium when they're playing Notre Dame, who's beat up up front, and he's like, 'You know what? We're gonna go 12 [personnel]. We're gonna run the football. We're gonna find ways to use 21 [personnel], and even though I have all these people on the outside, this is where I can win.'"
This is exactly what the fan base needed to hear. Kelly's adaptability and creativity when serving as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State last season can easily be translated to the NFL. He helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship in 2024, so hopefully he can have similar success this year.
RELATED: Raiders fans will hate who Tom Brady has been mentoring this offseason
Kelly's ability to find unique ways to attack will also be critical for a Raiders offense that is not necessarily complete. Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers are surefire talents, but the rest of the skill-position players are either rookies or unproven at this point in their careers.
The talent is certainly there in Las Vegas, but Kelly will be called upon to tap into it. Players like Michael Mayer and Tre Tucker will be required to improve in Year 3, but perhaps Kelly can put them more in the spotlight instead of under a microscope.
Clark just put wind in the sails of every member of Raider Nation who believes in Chip Kelly. Now, it will be up to Kelly to prove all of his believers right.