Getty Raiders HC Jon Gruden.
The offseason is upon the Raiders and while the team struggled greatly in a number of areas, it’s looking like there won’t be any big changes coming to the team. Jon Gruden is happy with the direction the team went this season and they should improve with more experience. There was speculation that the Raiders could make some coaching changes, but Gruden spoke on Monday about it.
Gruden had this to say when asked if his plan was to keep the coaching staff intact:
“That’s the plan. You know, there’s a lot of things that come up. Some of these guys are gonna be offered jobs, so I’m gonna treat it all… by saying we’ll see what happens.”
2019 was filled with adversity and injuries for the Raiders, so that’s likely why Gruden is giving his coaching staff a pass.
Who Has a Short Leash in 2020?
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has to be very happy that he’s getting a pass for his unit performed in 2019. Over the last two seasons, the Raiders have had some of the worst defenses in the NFL. Now, that’s not all on Guenther. When he was with the Cincinnati Bengals, he had one of the best defenses in the NFL. A lot of the team’s defensive struggles have to do with injuries and talent. That said, Guenther has to start feeling the heat heading to 2020.
Mike Mayock and Gruden invested heavily in the defense before the 2019 season. They gave Guenther three high draft picks in Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram and Trayvon Mullen. They are likely to give the defensive coordinator even more to work with in 2020. There’s no reason for the Raiders to finish with a bottom-five unit in 2020. Guenther needs to field a more consistent defense or he has a strong chance of being shown the door before 2021.
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson also shouldn’t feel safe. The offense stagnated greatly towards the back end of the season. Everybody knows Gruden is in charge of the offense, but he’s not going anywhere. There will need to be a fall guy if the offense sputters in 2020. It might be beneficial for the offense if they added a stronger personality with more creativity at offensive coordinator to bring out the best in Gruden.
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Is Jay Gruden on the Way?
Who better to help keep Jon Gruden in check than his brother, Jay? The recently fired Washington Redskins head coach is currently a free agent and very unlikely to land another head coaching gig anytime soon. However, he could easily find a job on the Raiders’ coaching staff. Jon Gruden has employed Jay before when he was in Tampa Bay.
The younger Gruden brother could be a strong asset. He helped turn Cincinnati into a top-10 offense while he was their offensive coordinator. He’s a respected offensive mind, he wouldn’t have ever gotten the job in Washington if he wasn’t. The former quarterback might even be a strong candidate to take over as the quarterbacks coach. The Raiders chose not to employ one in 2019, so it would be easy to plug Gruden into that position.
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