Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is beginning to fill out his coaching staff. It was announced that he’s appointed Mike McCoy as his assistant head coach. Elsewhere, Kubiak is interviewing in-house candidate Rob Leonard for the defensive coordinator job.
Leonard spent last season as the Raiders’ defensive line coach and run game coordinator. He initially joined the Raiders in 2023 as the position coach. Pete Carroll decided to retain him while offering him a promotion to run game coordinator.
And now Kubiak is clearly weighing retaining Leonard as well, with an opportunity to become the defensive coordinator. Many expected Kubiak to hire a defensive coordinator he worked with in Seattle with the Seahawks. Well, Leonard has an interesting connection to that coaching tree that may make him a serious candidate in Vegas.
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Leonard spent the 2022 campaign prior to joining the Raiders as the Baltimore Ravens’ outside linebackers coach. The defensive coordinator in Baltimore that year? Current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Leonard’s connection to Kubiak through Macdonald makes his candidacy feel legitimate. Leonard also coached under Brian Flores in Miami from 2019-2021. From Macdonald to Flores and Patrick Graham, he’s spent the last few seasons working under some brilliant defensive minds.
When you dig into Leonard’s background, it’s no surprise Kubiak is considering naming him his defensive coordinator.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Rob Leonard’s past could give him a leg up for Raiders DC job