Getty Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ front office has undergone many changes over the last several years but one of the constants has been Dwayne Joseph. He was the team’s director of pro scouting since 2019 and lasted through three different general managers.
However, he’s finally deciding to move on. According to a May 14 X post from Inside The League’s Neil Stratton, Joseph is leaving Las Vegas to join the Detroit Lions.
It’s unclear what Joseph’s new role will be but it could be a promotion. He’s been in the mix for several general manager jobs in the past and could be getting one in the next few years. It wouldn’t make much sense for him to take a less important role with Detroit if the goal is to be a general manager.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes is considered one of the best in the NFL and he’ll be a great resource for Joseph to continue to learn under. What also isn’t clear is whether or not the Raiders were planning on making a change regardless.
New general manager Tom Telesco brought former Los Angeles Chargers executive JoJo Wooden to the Raiders this offseason. He’s been a director of pro scouting before so he would be a logical replacement for Joseph. The team could also look into bringing in an outside name.
Champ Kelly Praises Tom Telesco
It’s unlikely that Joseph’s decision to join the Lions has much to do with Telesco. According to Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly, Telesco has been easy to work with since he joined the team.
“There was a lot of cohesion. Again, a testament to Tom [Telesco]. He came in, he didn’t come in and say we’re just doing everything my way, it’s my way or the highway. He came in and he listened to our scouts and our evaluations,” Kelly said in his May 8 press conference. “I think it’s a testament to the scouts because the quality of work they had done throughout the fall was so good that he could come in and really get a feel for them and also get a feel for how they viewed the players that were draft eligible. I’ve been through multiple systems now and no matter how you turn the verbiage, ultimately all you’re doing is you’re vertically stacking a position group, and then you’re horizontally stacking that position group across the other position groups. It doesn’t matter what system you’re doing, all we are trying to do is find the best players and the best Raiders for us.”
Kelly was close to getting the Raiders general manager job before the team decided to go with Telesco. Though it was likely difficult for Kelly to come back after losing out on the job, it appears Telesco’s demeanor has made it easier.
Las Vegas Raiders Need Stability in Front Office
Since Mark Davis took over as owner of the Raiders in 2011, he’s gone through four general managers. Davis doesn’t like to involve himself in player personnel decisions so he needs a strong general manager.
Telesco was a bit of a risky hire due to the fact that he was fired by the Chargers recently. That said, he has a lot of experience, which is different than the Raiders’ last three general manager hires. Regardless, the team needs a long-term solution in the front office or it’s going to be difficult to build a consistent winner.
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Lions Poach Highly Touted Executive From Raiders: Report