Despite regime changes, Rob Leonard remained a constant.
He even got an additional title — run game coordinator — to go along with defensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders when the team went from Antonio Pierce to Pete Carroll as head coach. Originally brought in as the defensive line coach under then-head coach Josh McDaniels in 2023, Leonard’s tenure with the Silver & Black is again, up in the air.
The Raiders sacked Carroll shortly after a 3-14 2025 campaign and are engaged in a wide-net search to land another head coach. The list is long, the candidates varied, and Las Vegas is set to have a pair of in-person interviews next week in Miami with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and current Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
When minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek make the pivotal decision on who the leading man will be for Las Vegas, expect turnover in the remaining coaching staff. Leonard is one of the incumbents that could stick despite yet another swap at the top spot on the coaching staff.
All Gas, No Ego
A high-energy coach that brings enthusiasm to the table, Leonard’s optimism, energy, and dedication to football are traits that make him a player’s coach. Despite entering the NFL coaching game in 2013 with the New York Giants, Leonard has no ego during his 13-year stint.
Combine the energy and positivity with the lack of arrogance and it’s easy to see why players under Leonard’s charge flock to him. From defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and other coaches, to Raiders like Maxx Crosby, all speak highly of Leonard’s ability and command in the defensive room, highlighting his ability to build and maintain a culture.
While positivity is his calling card, Leonard doesn’t hold any of his defenders above reproach. By using game film to showcase both highlights and lowlights as teach tape, that style of teaching aligned with Graham. In his initial season as the defensive run game coordinator along with his defensive line boss duties Leonard helped the Raiders earn the distinction of the 17th-ranked unit in terms of rushing yards allowed (1,986). That’s one less yard than the team allowed in 2024 where the group was ranked 13th in ground yards yielded.
As mentioned earlier, Leonard entered the NFL ranks as a defensive assistant for Tom Coughlin’s Giants in 2013. He elevated to assistant defensive line and linebackers coach his final two seasons of his six-year stay in New York then moved on to the Miami Dolphins for three seasons where he served as linebackers coach, assistant defensive line coach, then outside linebackers coach. That’s a position he held with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 before joining the Raiders the following season as defensive line boss.
Development & Production
Crosby remains a consistent havoc creator on the defensive line with a team-leading 10 sacks to go along with 28 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits in 15 games (all starts) this past season. Fellow defensive end Malcolm Koonce finished second with 4.5 sacks while defensive tackles Jonah Laulu and rookie Tonka Hemingway each had four. As did defensive end Tyree Wilson with fellow edge adding three.
The production from a rookie defensive tackle is a highlight, but overall, Las Vegas finished 18th in sacks with 37. The year before, the Raiders finished 21st in the league with 38 sacks and the high mark for Leonard’s tenure was a 15th ranking in 2023 with the Raiders collecting 46 total sacks. And that year was the breakout season for Koonce who notched a career-high eight sacks in 17 games (11 starts). He did suffer a torn ACL in preseason in 2024 and began showcase the burst he had in the second half of the 2025 campaign.
Then there’s Wilson, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, who hasn’t quite found any solid footing in his three seasons so far. Finishing with four sacks and 35 tackles, including a career-high eight tackles for loss, the Texas Tech product has 12 sacks, 91 total tackles, 16 stops for loss, and four forced fumbles in 50 career games (seven starts).
It’s that inconsistent statical production along with what appears to be a plateaued career trajectory for Wilson that are knocks on Leonard. The 121 sacks over the three seasons as defensive line boss looks solid, however, there are stretches where his group struggled getting to the quarterback consistently. There’s mitigating factors to that, of course. Roster and depth — namely availability — hinders any coach and Leonard isn’t the defensive play caller, Graham is.
But Leonard has a hand in the performance. And the stagnation of Wilson is a sore point for both Leonard and Graham.
The Outlook
Las Vegas’ excursion to hire yet another head coach has the look of deliberate. Two of the first reported in-person talks are on tap as the quest continues and that’s a solid step in the process.
But as Spytek noted, the coaches who remain with the Raiders are still under contract and it’ll be up to the next head honcho to decide the makeup of their staff.
With extensive experience — in his 13 seasons, Leonard has worked with eight different head coaches and has a diverse knowledge base because of it — alongside having player-favor, the run game coordinator and defensive line boss merits a long look by the new leader.
There’s a high likelihood Leonard won’t be out of work for long if he finds himself not in the Raiders’ plans.
