The Las Vegas Raiders are to set undergo some changes on defense with Patrick Graham coming on as defensive coordinator. The defensive coaching staff is going to look very different. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli is retiring and many other assistants have moved on to other jobs.
Graham continues to build his staff out and has decided to bring in a face that will be familiar to Raiders fans. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is hiring Rob Ryan as a senior defensive assistant.
Former Ravens’ LB coach Rob Ryan is being hired as the Senior Defensive Assistant with the Las Vegas Raiders, per sources. Ryan is now back with the Raiders, where he once served five years as their defensive coordinator.
As Schefter noted, Ryan spent five years as the defensive coordinator for the Raiders. During his time with the team, his success was varied. His defenses ranked 28th, 21st, 10th, 24th and 20th in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders.
Ryan has been coaching in the NFL since 2000 when he was an assistant for the New England Patriots. There was some overlap with new Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who started with the Patriots in 2001. Ryan’s defenses haven’t always been among the best in the NFL but he’s not going to be calling plays or anything like that. He’s a veteran defensive mind who has seen a lot of football over the years. He should be a solid addition to the staff.
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Raiders Hire DB Coach & Secondary Coach
Ron Milus did a great job coaching the Raiders’ defensive backs last season. Trevon Moehrig and Nate Hobbs came in as rookies and started Week 1. They were two of the team’s best defensive backs last season. Milus also helped coach Casey Hayward to his best season in years. Unfortunately, he’s likely to follow Gus Bradley to the Indianapolis Colts’ staff.
It’s not clear whether or not the Raiders wanted to keep Milus but they’ve found a new defensive backs coach regardless. According to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports, the team has hired Chris Ash.
#Raiders are hiring former #Jaguars DBs coach Chris Ash as their new DBs coach, per source. So, former #Giants DC Patrick Graham hires former #Rutgers head coach Chris Ash. It’s a full New Jersey story! #raidersnation
Ash coached safeties with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and that’s his only NFL experience. He spent a long time in college ranks, including a stint as the head coach for Rutgers. He’s been coaching defensive backs since the early 2000s.
Helping him with defensive backs will be Jason Simmons, who has been hired as a secondary coach, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire Carolina Panthers defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jason Simmons to coach their secondary, according to league sources @PFN365
Simmons previously worked with Graham when he was with the Green Bay Packers so there’s a familiarity there. He was most recently the defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Carolina Panthers.
Can Raiders Defense Take a Step Forward in 2022?
This season, the Raiders defense showed strong signs of improvement under Bradley. The defense went from being one of the worst units in the NFL to a respectable group. Graham has a different style of coaching. Bradley was very rigid in that he had to run a Cover 3 defense at almost all times. Graham is more flexible and open to switching to whatever is working.
In the long run, that could lead to the Raiders having a great defense. However, there may be some growing pains along the way. Graham’s strengths are his adjustments but it could take time to get a feel for his roster.
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Raiders Bring Back Former Defensive Coordinator to Patrick Graham’s Staff