New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has been busy filling out his coaching staff over the last several days, including hiring Travis Smith as the Raiders’ defensive line coach on Monday, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.
Smith was the Tennessee Titans’ defensive run game coordinator last season. Tennessee’s run defense ranked 15th in total yards allowed. He also helped defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons make his fourth Pro Bowl and first First-Team All-Pro selection. The coach was listed as a senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist on new Titans’ head coach Robert Saleh’s staff, according to the Titans’ website, before receiving this opportunity in Las Vegas
Prior to Tennessee, Smith was the Chicago Bears’ defensive line coach from 2022 to 2024, helping defensive end Montez Sweat make the one and only Pro Bowl appearance of his career after the team traded for him midseason in 2023. Sweat had six sacks and four TFLs in nine games with the Bears that season.
This will be Smith’s second stint with the Raiders. He spent 10 seasons with the club, from 2012 to 2021, working his way up from defensive assistant coach to assistant defensive line coach before leaving for Chicago. He was hired by Dennis Allen in Oakland, who Kubiak worked under with the New Orleans Saints. This also means Kubiak will be the sixth head coach Smith has worked for with the Silver and Black — Allen, Tony Sparano, Jack Del Rio and Rich Bisaccia.
Heading into the 2026 season, Smith inherits a defensive line that was coached by now defensive coordinator Rob Leonard and has a lot of question marks, including whether Maxx Crosby is staying in Las Vegas. Beyond Crosby’s situation, the Raiders have several young defensive linemen who need to be developed: Jonah Laulu, Thomas Booker (restricted free agent), Tyree Wilson, Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegueus, to name a few.
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