Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will call plays for the first time. After serving as defensive line coach and run game coordinator, Leonard turns his attention to the entire defense. Last year, the unit surrendered 25.2 points per game, the seventh-worst in the NFL. Leonard will shift the defense to an aggressive 3-4 scheme with wrinkles and alignment shifts. After a joint practice with the Houston Texans, he didn’t think the new playbook would be an issue.
Instead, Leonard believes in calming his overly aggressive tendency to attack. The Raiders, by virtue of the new scheme and influences like Mike Macdonald and Brian Flores, will likely see a marked increase in blitz rates. With Week 1 approaching, Leonard will continue to build a solid foundation.
“I’ve been wanting the leader role, embrace it full force. I know I’m like that, everyday I’ve gotta come out here and prove it to you.”
Raiders CB Eric Stokes speaks on being the leader of a very young group of corners this season after inking an extension with Las Vegas.
🎥:… pic.twitter.com/GpJuxFWNpV
— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) May 20, 2026
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Step-by-Step Philosophy
Details, regardless of size or importance, matter. Leonard wants the Raiders to own the fundamentals over anything else. Cornerback Eric Stokes co-signed the progress.
“It’s coming along good. He pays close attention to every detail of his requests, and if anyone becomes confused, he promptly pauses the meeting to clarify and ensure everyone is aligned.
He wants everybody to be clear with everything so that there are no misunderstandings, none of that stuff. It’s just everything to where, like, now it’s a better understanding.”
While it was a small sample and a vanilla approach, you could still see improvement from the beginning of the first game to the end of the second preseason tilt. Leonard told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about it.
“I wanted our play style to improve from game one to game two, and I think we did that. Just the focus of what I’m asking these guys to do. Klint (Kubiak) talks all the time about our operation, substitutions, getting in and out of the huddle, a sense of urgency to get lined up, and safety rotation; like those really have been the focus over all of those things, of improving with that.”
Someone’s gotta tell Rob Leonard this is the preseason lol
-Shift into a double-mug look
-Both LBs drop, boundary CB blitzes w/ no stacked S
-Show 2-high pre-snap, rotate boundary S down to bluff 1-high
-Field S rotates to deep half in boundary
-SS drops to play Cover 2 pic.twitter.com/ilC1i1wMkS— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 22, 2026
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Transitioning to Multiple Front 3-4
When people hear the conventional 3-4 defense, they envision two standout edge rushers with three stationary linemen used to absorb blocks. However, Las Vegas, under its new defensive coordinator, wants a different tactic. Granted, pass rusher Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye and company will still primarily rush the passer, but linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker will also slip through the A gap to disrupt the passing game.
“Rob Leonard is a DAWG..
He’s gonna be a stud as the defensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders” ~ @aqshipley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aCezs1oelC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 19, 2026
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Coverage as a By-Product
While Crosby tallied ten sacks, 28 tackles for loss, and 20 QB hits under Leonard’s tutelage, he needed to grind to get those numbers. In contrast, multiple fronts will attempt to exploit weaknesses by having Crosby shift and line up all over the field.
Yet coverage improves over everything else. The quarterback will have a short window to throw with expected pressure bearing down. Under those circumstances, he will need to throw the ball earlier than anticipated. Stokes allowed just one passing touchdown and a 56.7% opponent completion rate.
The Raiders under Leonard do not need to be anywhere near perfect. However, they must attack aggressively.
No More ‘Slow Blinkers’: Rob Leonard Demands Aggressive Shift for Raiders Defense