Raiders' Rob Leonard 'Going To Do It His Way'

This left the Raiders with yet another significant decision to make in an offseason filled with such.

New-Look Raiders

Earlier this offseason, the Raiders also moved on from Pete Carroll and most of his coaching staff. Like Graham before him, Rob Leonard managed to make it through each of the Raiders' previous three head coaching changes, including Carroll's. The former defensive line coach is well respected.

The players in the Raiders' locker room loved Leonard while he was a positional coach. After hiring Klint Kubiak, the first-time head coach decided to promote Leonard to defensive coordinator. This gave the Raiders a little more continuity than they would have had if they had hired someone else.

Leonard spent the last three seasons as the team's defensive line coach. During this time, Leonard became more familiar with the Raiders' defensive line and their defense as a whole. Although Las Vegas will have several new pieces on defense this season, Leonard still has a pulse on the unit.

As the Raiders look to implement numerous changes to their coaching staff and roster, Leonard gives Las Vegas a sense of normalcy. Change was undoubtedly needed in Las Vegas; in addition to all the other changes they made this offseason, promoting Leonard was yet another.

Leonard's Impact

Leonard's return allows Las Vegas to hit the ground running on defense. In addition to Leonard's promotion, the Raiders' front office also upgraded its roster on defense, adding the likes of Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Taron Johnson. This includes the returning talent they have on defense.

The return of Eric Stokes, Malcolm Koonce, Maxx Crosby, and others, combined with the roster additions the Raiders made in free agency, gives Leonard the best defensive roster Las Vegas has had in a while, and they are sure to continue adding to the unit moving forward.

Overall, Leonard has spent over a decade with several teams around the league. This has given him ample time to prepare for his new duties as Las Vegas' defensive coordinator. He has been set up for success with the roster moves the Raiders made this summer. He must now put it all together.

Crosby has long been noted as a player who fully supports Leonard. Although all the players in the locker room do support Leonard, Crosby's cosign is undoubtedly the most notable. He recently shared his thoughts on why Leonard will be successful in his new position.

“He's going to do it his way. And guys respect that because they know how hard he works and how much he loves and cares about this team and the players, and you can really feel that," Crosby said.

"You can't fake that energy, and I think that's a big reason why he got the got the job is because not only is he extremely smart when it comes to football, he just has a really unique and special way of being able to relate to the players and guys feed off that energy."

Leonard may represent the Raiders' most significant source of continuity moving forward, yet few things will be the same. As Las Vegas looks to move past years of subpar play and defense, Leonard has already begun implementing changes on the unit.

The Raiders have already begun switching to a 3-4 defense, and Leonard will continue to search for more ways to achieve the style of play he wants to establish. Crosby noted that while Leonard is a familiar face and everyone is comfortable with him, Leonard will put his own spin on things.

"Yeah, he's got his own twist. He's been in a lot of different systems. Obviously, it goes back to when he was with the Giants, and then he was with Baltimore for a year, and then he was with Miami with Brian Flores, he's been around Mike Macdonald, who just won the Super Bowl, and then being around Pat [Graham], Josh McDaniels,” Crosby said after Organized Team Activities.

“He's been with a lot of different people and has a lot of different influences. So, I think just him in general, just being able to be a sponge, he's not a robot in anything he does, he's not trying to just do what everybody else wants him to do."