Raiders coaching staff: Continuity is one thing, but Patrick Graham’s defense needs a rebound

Defensive coordinator can continue to refine his unit and increased takeaways a must

New regimes often mean new philosophy, scheme and system. The Las Vegas Raiders are all too aware of this.

After moving from one head coach to another, change is the constant for the Silver & Black. Yet, there’s a measure of continuity in the desert. Particularly, on the defensive side of the ball.

Enter: Patrick Graham.

The Raiders defensive coordinator returns to the fold under new head coach Pete Carroll. This after Graham’s contract with Las Vegas expired after the 2024 season and he went on the interview circuit. Graham talked to the Jacksonville Jaguars about the head coach spot, which ultimately went to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The Jags then shifted the talks with Graham to being Coen’s defensive coordinator. Graham also interviewed with the Cincinnati Bengals for their defensive boss spot.

In the end, though, Graham is back in Silver & Black to once again captain the defense.

Graham is a key cog in Carroll’s ever-growing coaching staff. The Raiders new lead man is on the grind along with general manager John Spytek to build a cohesive staff that’s charged with guiding the Raiders out of the darkness. The team finished 4-13 overall and was the lone AFC West squad with a losing record.

The return of Graham allows for all-important continuity on the side of the ball that’s been historically lackluster.

Yes, Graham’s unit this past season didn’t rank well. Overall, the group ranked 25th out of 32 allowing a total of 434 points on the season (25.5 points per game average).

The ranking is severely affected by the Raiders defense losing key starters to long-term injuries as Graham didn’t have defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, along with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, cornerback Jakorian Bennett, and safety Marcus Epps for extended periods of time.

Losing Crosby, Koonce, and Wilkins eroded both the Raiders pass rush and run stopping ability. And the absences of Bennett and Epps dwindled both the secondaries’ coverage and effectiveness, but more importantly, the backend communication that’s vital to any defense — which Epps does and earned immense praise from the coaching staff.

But no one likes excuses or reasoning as Las Vegas did ultimately finish in the cellar.

Fortunately for the Raiders, the team doesn’t have to go through an offseason learning a new philosophy and scheme with Graham’s return. Carroll and Co. also retained defensive line coach Rob Leonard and added run game coordinator to his title.

Thus, there won’t be a starting at square one moment for the Silver & Black.

Just a season ago, the Raiders defense was ranked ninth in points allowed (331 total, 19.5 points per game average in 2023). And it’s plausible to get there again — especially with a healthy group along with potential added reinforcements in free agency (March) and the 2025 NFL Draft (April).

While continuity is nice and can parlay itself into sustained success, however, there’s aspects to Graham’s unit that needs to skyrocket back into positivity.

Namely: Takeaways.

Las Vegas ranked 29th this past season in that department with 13 takeaways. Only the New England Patriots (12), Cleveland Browns (12) and Jacksonville Jaguars (9) had fewer. And it’s no surprise to see that of that foursome, Las Vegas, New England, and Jacksonville have new head coaches. To compare, the top three teams in the league who forced turnovers were: The Minnesota Vikings (33), Pittsburg Steelers (33), and Buffalo Bills (32).

Takeaways aren’t the be-all, end-all as the two teams facing off in the Super Bowl — the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — ranked sixth and 14th in takeaways with 26 and 20, respectively.

Another aspect Graham must shore up: Sacks.

With a total of 38 this past season, the Raiders ranked 22nd in that department. Despite dialing up the ninth most blitzes in the league (165 for a percentage of 26.3 percent of snaps) which generated the 11th most hurries (55), according to Pro Football Reference (PFR), Las Vegas couldn’t: A. Ultimately bring down the quarterback and B. Didn’t force any turnovers despite hurrying said quarterbacks on backend coverage.

And here’s the ultimate sin for any defense: Missed tackles.

Grahams unit was the second worst in the entire league in that department with 134 whiffs, according to PFR. Only the Indianapolis Colts were worse at 157 missed tackles. In comparison, the top three teams in that regard were: The Steelers (69), Baltimore Ravens (76), and Denver Broncos (78).

Carroll is a stickler for the little things, and he along with Graham, should be able to remedy those things that ailed the Raiders defense in 2024.