Rob Leonard Has Plan To Elevate Raiders' Defensive Line

One of the best decisions they made this offseason was promoting Rob Leonard from their defensive line coach to their defensive coordinator. This shows that the Raiders are prioritizing consistency and familiarity in a time when nothing is set in stone, which is how they can begin rebuilding their culture.

Similarly, this is an excellent signing given his background. The defensive line is the biggest strength of their team, and they helped bolster the second and third levels of their defense. That gives Leonard all the firepower he needs to make this defense leagues better than it was in 2025, and that's what the Raiders were hoping for when they promoted him.

Instilling the Correct Values

The Raiders selected Keyron Crawford with their first pick of the third round, and he was interviewed after the first couple of days of rookie minicamp. One of the questions he was asked was about Leonard and the defensive philosophy and direction he wants his young players to take with them into their rookie seasons.

"Everything that I'm being taught is everything that I did at Auburn. It's really similar to what I've done, and it's an exciting position to be in," said Crawford. "It's really just about being the main attacker, that's the main thing. Be the attacker and always be forceful in what you do".

This is especially poignant for Crawford to take to heart, as one of the things he needs to work on is battling through offensive linemen's hands off the edge. It's a good thing that Leonard is reminding them from this point forward, because their defense will have to do a lot of heavy lifting if they want to convert their offseason moves into wins in the regular season.

For them to reestablish the culture that's been missing from the Silver and Black, defensive intensity has to be a part of the equation.