rob leonard
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Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard.
Though the Las Vegas Raiders have gone through several head coaching changes in recent years, the one notable coach who had stuck around was defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. He lasted four years with the team, but decided to leave for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
Rob Leonard was with Graham for three of those four years and was promoted to defensive coordinator this offseason. He’s never been a defensive playcaller at the NFL level, so it’s difficult to know what his philosophy will be, but head coach Klint Kubiak just dropped some major insight.
According to the coach, Leonard is going to run a 3-4 base defense. While the Raiders have used 3-4 elements in previous defenses, the base has typically been 4-3 or 4-2-5. The Raiders had a 3-4 base defense in 1976, and won the Super Bowl.
3-4 defenses aren’t as popular as they were in the 2010s, but there are plenty of teams that still utilize the scheme. Notably, the two Super Bowl teams (New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks) have been known to use 3-4 concepts. Leonard previously worked for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, so it’s not a surprise he’d take some inspiration from him. That said, this doesn’t mean that the Raiders will always be in a 3-4.
John Spytek Talks Leonard Hiring
Leonard has been an up-and-coming coach for years, but it’s still risky to hire a coach with no definitive playcalling experience to be the defensive coordinator under an offensive-minded head coach.
This has boom-or-bust potential for the Raiders. Luckily, the team is rebuilding, so they can afford to experiment. General manager John Spytek had a chance to work with Leonard last year, and he recommended him to Kubiak when he was filling out his staff.
“He’s a great young coach,” Spytek said during a recent press conference. “Pete [Carroll] interviewed him to be a defensive coordinator last year. I sat in on that interview; it was really impressive. My communication to Klint, I was like, ‘Hey, we have a great D-Line coach in the building. I think you should interview him as a DC and then make your decision.’ And so, we did, and Klint did.”
Raiders Defense Needs Help
Graham is considered a high-level defensive coordinator, so he did a lot to help mask some of the Raiders’ issues. The defensive personnel are not great. Maxx Crosby might be the only player under contract who would be a guaranteed starter on all 32 teams.
Leonard is going to have his work cut out for him. The Raiders are likely to use the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on offense, and much of their free agent spending could go toward the offensive line.
The Raiders can’t forget about defense. The depth at all three levels is very weak. All three starting linebackers from last season are free agents. Eric Stokes was the team’s best cornerback in 2025, and he’s also a free agent. The Raiders need to add a ton of players to the defense, or Leonard is going to have a hard time during his first season.