I cannot tell a lie: Considering the shape of the Las Vegas Raiders roster when Rob Leonard was named the defensive coordinator for head coach Klint Kubiak in mid-February, the rookie defensive boss was behind the eight ball — big time.
Then, a month later, just before the free agency legal tampering period kicked off, edge rusher Maxx Crosby was shipped off to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round draft picks. Which eroded Leonard’s side of the ball further. But general manager John Spytek had a plan and it became evidently clear the Raiders weren’t going to leave either their rookie defensive coordinator or rookie head coach high and dry.
Las Vegas didn’t sit idle in Spytek’s second offseason jaunt as the team spent considerable coin to stock a roster bereft of talent. Center Tyler Linderbaum was the big catch for Kubiak’s offense and blocking scheme and wide receiver Jalen Nailor provides an explosive pass catcher that wasn’t used enough thus far in his NFL career. But then came defensive splashes in back-to-back linebacker additions in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
Gasp!
The Raiders finally took the linebacker spot seriously!?
“It’s going to fit perfectly. Had a talk with him last night at dinner. I’m not going to go into everything, but I know he’s going to use me the right way, lining me up in different positions and just moving me all around so other teams can’t really recognize what I’m going to do,” Walker said during the introductory press conference for a select group of free agent additions las week. “I just think he’s really going to bring out my skill set, because I think he quite understands me, although he hasn’t really seen me on the field yet, but I know he’s watched him and did a lot of things like that, so I think ”m going to be used the right way. I think he’s going to do it the right way.”
Those moves were rounded out by adding edge rusher Kwity Paye, re-signing cornerback Eric Stokes, the trade for slot/nickel cornerback Taron Johnson becoming official, and bringing back edge rusher Malcolm Koonce.
Suddenly, the cupboard isn’t bare for Leonard. And expectations went from the depths of Mariana Trench to a middle ground.
There was no patchwork or bargain shopping for Spytek and Co. as the team heads into an important 2026 campaign with Kubiak at the helm. The Raiders personnel office spent coin to build a roster that puts the coaching staff in the best possible position to succeed as all three phases of the game — offense, defense, and special teams — each got the attention it deserved in free agency.
For Leonard in particular, the additions of two starting linebackers in Walker and Dean alongside the arrival Paye and the returns of Crosby and Koonce plays well into the Raiders shift to a 3-4 defensive front under the defensive coordinator’s watch. This offseason will sort out the groupings but having the ability to plug Walker and Dean in the middle and having Paye, Crosby, and Koonce rush from the outside spots an advantageous deployment for Leonard.
Meanwhile, the return of Stokes and the arrival of Johnson is a boon for the secondary, a group that’ll be vital to the front in Leonard’s defense. The back end will need to work in unison with the front as coverage allows the rush to operate and the secondary playing downhill supports run defense, too.
Leonard and the rest of the defensive coaching staff have a lot of work ahead of them. The roster additions are fantastic but how the coaches teach and develop the group is mission critical. Especially with the team transitioning away from the 4-3 front to a 3-4 look. Of course, that’s just the “base” defense and how the Raiders operate out of the nickel and dime packages will be something to keep an eye on.
Under former defensive coordinator Patrick Graham (now the Pittsburg Steelers defensive boss), Las Vegas’ “base” alignment was the 4-2-5 nickel look. So the variant that Leonard deploys in 2026 and beyond will be interesting. Will it be a 3-3-5 (three defensive linemen, three linebackers, five defensive backs) alignment? Or a 2-4-5 (two down linemen, four linebackers, five defensive backs)? Or a 4-2-5 big nickel (three safeties) looks?
“I do see us being a base 3-4 team,” Kubiak said during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I see us being able to play four-down as well. I think Robbie (Leonard) can be very multiple with his fronts. Coming from working with Mike (Macdonald) working in Miami with (Brian) Flores, he’s got a lot of really impressive influences. But he also has his own identity as well. So, we’re getting to work on that part of the puzzle right now, and talking personnel this time of year. But I’m really excited about, really, more of the person, more than anything.”
With the moves in free agency alone, Leonard can get creative. And the roster building is far from over.
As the open market continues, Spytek and crew have 10 selections in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft (late April) to further stack the Silver & Black roster. Depth and starting pieces are to be had during the three-day event from April 23-25 and the Raiders do own the No. 1 overall pick — presumed to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to shore up the all-important signal caller spot.
But Leonard could stand to get a mammoth-type nose tackle prospect to anchor the middle of that 3-4 defense, alongside more pieces in the secondary (safety), amongst other things.
But when you look at the state of the Raiders roster when Leonard was elevated to defensive coordinator from his previous role of defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach, it’s a night and day difference.
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