Reshaped Raiders front office is a good thing

Adding Anthony Patch means a positive shift in player evaluation for general manager John Spytek

Just as the Las Vegas Raiders made a flurry of moves during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Silver & Black also moved pieces around in the front office.

With general manager John Spytek’s initial draft class in the books as he adds ingredients to a roster that head coach Pete Carroll will cook with, the Raiders chief personnel man swiftly made moves to spice up the player personnel department in Las Vegas.

First came the arrival of new assistant general manager Brian Stark and assistant director of college scouting Johnathon Stigall. Then the big catch, Anthony Patch as senior personnel executive. The new trio join forces with Spytek to add more sound football minds to a Raiders team that can always use more of that.

The reshaping of the front office shouldn’t surprise. This commonly occurs post-draft when a new regime takes hold. And this remodeling is a good thing for the Raiders. The new additions — particularly Patch — should portend a positive shift in player evaluations.

Patch It Up

The news of Patch heading West to join Spytek in Las Vegas was met with equal parts excitement and shock. Anytime a team can scoop up one of Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s top lieutenants, it’s generally viewed as positive.

While Roseman was the final say and ultimate arbiter for the Eagles — a team that is adept at finding and adding talent — Patch was one of a number of staff that ensured the GM had the data, profiles, and reports to make truly informed decisions. As the longest-tenured scouting staff member (23 years), Patch goes from Eagles senior director of college scouting (a role he’s held since 2016) to senior personnel executive with the Raiders.

According to the Philly Voice’s Geoff Mosher, by joining the Silver & Black, Patch moves closer to his West Coast home of Washington State — he had to travel across country to be in Philadelphia.

Patch’s addition to the Raiders player personnel room is a reunion with Spytek. Both came up the Eagles’ scouting ranks under former head coach Andy Reid and general manager Tom Hecker from 2005-09.

Now the duo are back together and are set to build the roster in Las Vegas.

Common Ground

Like their new boss, Stark and Stigall came up the NFL ranks as scouts.

Stark, who most recently served as the Denver Broncos’ director of college scouting (since 2016), was a national scout promoting up from the Western region and West Coast area scout.

As assistant general manager in Las Vegas, Stark replaces Champ Kelly (now with the Miami Dolphins), and he rejoins Spytek. In fact, the Raiders GM isn’t the only familiar face for Stark in the desert. Mark Thewes, who Spytek brought board as senior vice president of football operations and strategy, was also in Denver. Now the trio of former Broncos personnel men are in Las Vegas.

Similar to Stark, Stigall arrives to the Raiders with familiar faces, too.

He was a scout for the Eagles (2006-10) where he cut his teeth in the NFL alongside both Spytek and Patch. So the familiarity is there as will the comfort level between the trio of former Eagles scouts.

Having most recently served as the national scout for the New York Jets, Stigall spent 11 seasons with Gang Green and now will work alongside Brandon Yeargan, the Raiders director of college scouting.

Proving Grounds

While their respective resumes are tantalizing, past performance means little as the trio of Patch, Stark, and Stigall begin their Raiders journey with Spytek.

For as quickly and hefty the reputation they’ve built over the course of the years before heading to the desert, that can all erode without continued success in Silver & Black. The Raiders are not a paragon of quality roster building. Regime’s have come through in the post-Al Davis era and success has been fleeting at best.

Sustained accomplishment isn’t in the Raiders vocabulary. And it’s up to Spytek and his crew alongside Carroll and his staff to change the course.

Spytek did well to surround himself with solid football minds to help him make informed decisions — like Roseman had with Patch — but the players and prospects he adds to the roster is part of a the big equation. Spytek and his player personnel department will do their best to add talented players in the draft and free agency while the equally heavy lift is on Carroll and his coaches to develop the talent added.

Patch, Stark, and Stigall did well in their prior roles to build up the football teams they each worked for. And yes, Patch had a major hand in helping Roseman and the Eagles become one of the best football teams at acquiring talent to build a championship program.

Now we’ll see if Patch and Co. can do the same alongside Spytek with the Raiders.

If even one part of that machinery isn’t firing on all cylinders, there’s going to be a hiccup in the process.

And Raider Nation is all too familiar with that kind of misstep.