The Las Vegas Raiders have had the same coordinator for defense through three head coaches. With all the coaching changes in recent years, the one mainstay has been Patrick Graham.
While Graham has only one successful season for the Raiders, it has mostly been about talent instead of coaching. It seems it will be the same situation in 2025, with the defense appearing to be the weak link heading into Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Graham will have a big job ahead of him with a young secondary, with the hopes of overachieving on the defensive side of the ball.
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When Graham has been coaching the Raiders, it is usually from the booth. The past two seasons, he has spent most of his coaching with the Silver and Black up in the booth. However, with Pete Carroll building, that is changing. He believes it allows Graham to connect better with players, which he explained to the media on Sunday.
“Yeah, I have a little bit of input. Yeah, I have talked to Patrick [Graham] through this. We
talked through the offseason and wanted to try both. I really like him on the field. I like him down there.
He has a real command, and he has a real presence in the defensive room with all the position groups.“
It is an interesting move since Graham has had success in the past from the booth. Hopefully, Carroll is right about the difference it makes to have a coordinator on the field. It is a big year for Graham, and he will be watching the defense from a different angle.
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