The Raiders’ fast start in 2026 has been built on a defense that keeps showing up in all the right ways. Las Vegas is pressuring quarterbacks without leaning heavily on the blitz, and it is also leading the NFL in takeaways. That combination has handed the offense a steady stream of short fields, and the Raiders have taken advantage.
At the center of it all is Rob Leonard, who was promoted this offseason from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator after three years in that role. He had long been viewed as a strong position coach, but taking over the full defense brought understandable questions. Three weeks into the season, Leonard has answered them.
Under his direction, the Raiders have looked like one of the league’s best defensive units. Leonard has also started to earn broader recognition as one of the NFL’s bright young coaches.
His path to this point includes a stop with the Baltimore Ravens, where he worked as outside linebackers coach. He also built a reputation around the league for developing defensive linemen and coached at the Senior Bowl in 2024.
Leonard has worked under some highly regarded defensive minds, including Brian Flores and Mike Macdonald. Flores currently has one of the league’s best defenses with the Minnesota Vikings, while Macdonald led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory.
Those influences show up in Las Vegas. The Raiders are using a scheme that features a steady rotation of defensive line personnel and a strong emphasis on positional versatility. Leonard has taken lessons from those coaches and put them into a system his players are learning to operate in quickly.
With Patrick Graham gone after four seasons as an excellent defensive coordinator, there were real questions about who would take over. Leonard has stepped in and kept the unit rolling.
Now comes a bigger test against the Kansas City Chiefs. It is a chance for Leonard to keep building his reputation against Andy Reid, one of the best offensive minds the league has ever seen. The Chiefs’ offense is surging, and Leonard’s defense will have to find a way to slow it down.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Face A Familiar Allegiant Problem Before Chiefs Game
When Allegiant Stadium opened, Raiders fans were told it would give the team a true home-field edge in Las Vegas. Instead, Sundays against Kansas City have often turned into a familiar sight, with plenty of red in the stands and visiting fans making the trip well in advance of kickoff. With the Chiefs coming to town again on Sunday, the Raiders are once more bracing for a crowd that will not look especially friendly.
Raider Nation Radio host JT the Brick has been pushing a message Raiders fans have heard before: keep the tickets in Raiders hands and do not let them end up with opposing fans. Projections suggest 64 percent of the crowd will be wearing silver and black, which would make the Chiefs contingent a little smaller than in some previous meetings, but the bigger question for Las Vegas remains the same. At Allegiant, the home crowd has had to fight to sound and feel like one for a while now. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Get A Brock Bowers Twist Right Before Chiefs Game
Brock Bowers popped up on the injury report Friday with an illness, giving the Raiders a late-week wrinkle heading into Sundays matchup with the Chiefs. The rookie tight end has quickly become one of the more important pieces of Las Vegas offense, and the timing of any concern around him is less than ideal with Kansas City on deck.
The good news for the Raiders is that Bowers is still expected to play, even after being listed questionable. He already worked through an early-season absence after a meniscus trim and came back with a strong showing in Week 3, so Las Vegas has reason to believe this latest issue is more of a brief nuisance than a real setback. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Make Intriguing Chiefs Gameday Shakeup With Young Talent Involved
Aidan OConnell is back in the mix for the Raiders on Sunday, and his return to emergency third-quarterback duty was part of a noticeable Week 4 shuffle as Las Vegas adjusted its game-day roster for the trip to face Kansas City. The bigger personnel wrinkle for the Raiders came on the defensive side, where rookie Dalton Johnson was active for the first time and stepped in at safety, giving the coaching staff a fresh look in the secondary.
Las Vegas also turned to JJ Pegues over Jonah Laulu, another sign that the Raiders were willing to make some young-player decisions on a short week of roster management. It all comes against a Chiefs team missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons, a development that could influence how the matchup unfolds up front even before the Raiders get a chance to test their own new combinations on defense. [Read more 🡒]