Raiders add two more to coaching staff

Woods served as defensive coordinator under former Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who was fired on Nov. 4. The Saints are expected to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after the Super Bowl on Sunday, and Woods is not expected to be retained amidst the overhaul.

Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Woods also served as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos (2017-18) and Cleveland Browns (2020-22). He now returns to the Raiders, where he served as defensive backs coach while the team was in Oakland in 2014.

Woods is widely respected for his work in constructing defenses against the pass, with his teams ranking in the top ten in defending the pass in four of his seven seasons as defensive coordinator. As such, he will be leaned on by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to keep opposing quarterbacks quiet.

The Athletic’s Tashan Reed announced another coaching move, with Chris Beatty being named the Raiders’ new wide receivers coach.

Beatty broke into the NFL in 2021 as receivers coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, but he was not retained when Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach.

He spent the past season with the Chicago Bears in the same capacity, but was named interim offensive coordinator after the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus. Similar to in Los Angeles, however, he was not retained with new head coach Ben Johnson in town.

During Beatty’s tenures, the Chargers drafted Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston, while the Bears drafted Rome Odunze. All three profiled as big receivers, which could play into the Raiders’ draft strategy with so many similar receivers on the board this year.

There are still some spots to fill out, but the Raiders are continuing to make impactful moves.