The Las Vegas Raiders defense is undergoing a pretty big transformation this season. While new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has been with the team for years, this is his first season as an offensive coordinator.
He worked closely with Patrick Graham for a long time, but it sounds like he’ll be running a different defense. One of the position groups on the defense that’s considered a big question mark is defensive tackle.
That’s a group that Leonard has been working closely with, as he was previously the team’s defensive line coach. Veteran defensive tackle Jonah Laulu has gotten to know Leonard well over the years, and he has gained a ton of respect for the coach. In fact, he’s ready to do whatever it takes for Leonard.
“I would literally die for Rob Leonard,” Laulu said, per The Athletic’s Sam Warren.
The Raiders could’ve gone with a more experienced defensive coordinator this offseason, but it’s clear that Leonard has earned massive amounts of respect from his players. Time will tell if he’s good at putting a scheme together, but he’s got the player side of things down.
Laulu is Raiders’ Best-Kept Secret
Laulu had a difficult start to his career. He was a seventh-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, but was cut before playing a game. He joined the Raiders and hasn’t missed a game in two seasons and has started in 22.
He’s coming off a strong season, where he had 4.0 sacks. There is a ton of opportunity for somebody to step up in the defensive tackle room. This led to Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski naming Laulu the Raiders’ best-kept secret.
“Jonah Laulu was originally cut by the Indianapolis Colts after being a seventh-round selection in the 2024 class. He was immediately picked up by the Raiders and started six of the team’s last eight games. Unsurprisingly, Laulu struggled,” Sobleksi wrote. “The 25-year-old defensive lineman became a much bigger part of the Raiders’ defensive rotation in Year 2. Laulu still struggled, specifically against the run, but he’s included here because he brings a very specific and valuable skill set.
“Laulu is a legitimate interior pass-rusher. Even if he continues to struggle on early downs, he can easily be a regular sub-package contributor.”
Travis Smith Talks Return to Raiders
Now that Leonard is the defensive coordinator, the Raiders had to find a new defensive line coach. They decided to bring back Travis Smith, who previously spent 10 years with the team.
He’s excited to be back with the Raiders.
“I think it’s awesome,” Smith said of his return, per Raiders.com. “To have an opportunity in this profession to be here … one place for 10 years with so many different coaches and people and staff, leave and then four or five years later to be able to come back and still be growing in this profession and being around new people is awesome. But also the thing that I know myself and my family appreciate just as much is that there are still people that were here before. That’s part of the reason we came back too.”
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