Klint Kubiak, the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, is rounding out his coaching staff with some intriguing hires. On Friday, he brought in Marquice Williams as the senior special teams coach and Omar Young to lead the running backs, according to NFL Network and CBS Sports reports.
Marquice Williams comes with a solid resume, having spent the last five years with the Atlanta Falcons as their special teams coordinator. He managed to navigate a coaching change from Arthur Smith to Raheem Morris but wasn’t retained by Kevin Stefanski.
Williams' journey in the NFL has seen him with the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers, where he honed his skills as an assistant special teams coach. His units in Atlanta started strong, even ranking as high as fourth in the league at one point, but they struggled in recent seasons.
Despite the challenges, Williams coached Pro Bowl talents like long snapper Josh Harris in 2021 and receiver KhaDarel Hodge in 2024.
On the other hand, Omar Young steps up from the college ranks, bringing a blend of collegiate and NFL experience. Last season, he was Iowa’s running backs coach, where he helped Kamari Moulton achieve impressive stats, averaging nearly 80 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry.
Young's previous coaching stops include San Jose State, Colorado, South Carolina, and NFL stints with the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and the Bears. He began his career focusing on special teams but transitioned to running backs coaching in 2019 at Eastern Illinois, where he also took on co-special teams coordinator duties.
Young's challenge with the Raiders will be to revitalize Ashton Jeanty, who had a tough season, averaging just 57.4 yards per game with a 3.7 per-carry average. The addition of Rick Dennison to coach the offensive line is also part of the strategy to boost Jeanty’s performance. These moves are crucial for Kubiak as he aims to develop a rookie quarterback and set a successful course for the Raiders next season.