Raiders promote Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator: Source

The Las Vegas Raiders are promoting assistant coach Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator, a team source confirmed to The Athletic.

Leonard spent last season as the Raiders’ run game coordinator/defensive line coach after spending the previous two seasons as Las Vegas’ defensive line coach.

In that role, he worked closely with star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who made the Pro Bowl in each of Leonard’s three seasons on the coaching staff. In Leonard’s first season with the team, Crosby tallied a career-high 14.5 sacks.

Before his time with the Raiders, Leonard had stints with the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.

Leonard stays on as a member of new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s staff. Kubiak was officially announced as the Raiders’ head coach following the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl 60 victory over the New England Patriots.

Kubiak’s staff will be tasked with turning around a team that won just three games in 2025 and ranked 30th in the NFL in third-down conversion rate, allowing opponents to convert 46.3 percent of their third-down attempts.