The Las Vegas Raiders have promoted run game coordinator/defensive line coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator, the team announced Sunday.
Leonard has worked directly with Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, whose future with the organization remains uncertain following the hiring of first-time head coach Klint Kubiak.
Leonard has been a defensive line coach in Las Vegas since 2023.
The Raiders are also retaining Joe Woods as defensive pass game coordinator, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The Raiders' defense was inconsistent throughout the 2025 season under former defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and coach Pete Carroll. Both coaches tried to mesh their defensive philosophies together, but the plan backfired.
Las Vegas was 25th in points allowed (25.4) and 14th in yards allowed (317.8). Opponents converted 46.3% of their third-down attempts against the Raiders.
Despite the Raiders' struggles, the unit was solid against the run. Las Vegas gave up 3.9 yards per carry -- fourth best in the NFL. Crosby finished with 10 sacks and 26 run stuffs. Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu made significant strides in Year 2, totaling a career-best four sacks.
Rookie Tonka Hemingway flashed down the stretch. He recorded four sacks in the final five games of the regular season.
Before joining the Raiders' staff, Leonard spent one season as an outside linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. He was a linebackers coach and assistant defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 and an assistant coach for the New York Giants from 2013 to 2018.
This is the second hire that Kubiak has made since being announced as the 25th coach in franchise history on Monday. The Raiders announced Friday that Mike McCoy will join the staff as an assistant head coach.
