Las Vegas Raiders head coach Clint Kubiak is starting to beef up his coaching staff. It was announced that he named Mike McCoy as his assistant head coach. Elsewhere, Kubiak is interviewing internal candidate Rob Leonard for the defensive coordinator job.
Leonard served as the Raiders’ defensive line coach and running game coordinator last season. He originally joined the Raiders in 2023 as a position coach. Pete Carroll decided to keep him while promoting him to game coordinator.
Now Kubiak is apparently considering retaining Leonard and the opportunity to become defensive coordinator. Many expected Kubiak to hire a defensive coordinator he worked with with the Seattle Seahawks. Well, Leonard has an interesting connection to the coaching tree that could make him a serious candidate for Vegas.
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Leonard spent the 2022 season as the Baltimore Ravens’ outside linebackers coach before joining the Raiders. Baltimore’s defensive coordinator back then? Current Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald.
Leonard’s connection to Kubiak through McDonald makes his candidacy feel legitimate. Leonard also coached under Brian Flores in Miami from 2019 to 2021. He’s been working under some great defensive minds over the past few seasons, from McDonald to Flores and Patrick Graham.
When you dig into Leonard’s background, it’s not surprising that Kubiak considered him as defensive coordinator.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Rob Leonard’s past could help him with job with Washington Raiders
