Raiders Finalize 2025 Coaching Staff
The Raiders reeled in the short leash allowed to interim head coach turned official head coach Antonio Pierce after only one season and have turned to former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to right the ship in Las Vegas. Two and a half weeks after the hiring of the veteran head coach, the Raiders have finalized the coaching staff they will carry into the 2025 NFL season. Though we were already aware of many of these signings, there were some breaking updates, as well. 
For instance, we were already aware of the hiring of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, and run game coordinator/offensive line coach (and son of the head coach) Brennan Carroll.
To fill out the position coaches, we learned that tight ends coach Luke Steckel would be retained from the previous staff and that Deland McCullough has been hired as running backs coach. A longtime assistant with the Titans, Steckel has worked with multiple positions, though tight ends coach has been his only title lacking the word “assistant.” Last season was his first in role for the Raiders, and the result was tight end Brock Bowers setting NFL records for receptions in a rookie season (112) and receiving yards in a rookie season by a tight end (1,194). McCullough returns to the NFL after time with Indiana and Notre Dame. He previously coached running backs in Kansas City from 2018-20.
All of the assistant hirings were new information. Nate Carroll, the younger of the head coach’s two sons on staff, will join as assistant quarterbacks coach after not being retained as passing game coordinator in Carolina. After getting fired as offensive line coach of the Browns, Andy Dickerson will serve as assistant offensive line coach in Vegas. Former Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell will join as a senior offensive assistant after not being retained in New England. Joining him as a senior offensive assistant will be Joe Philbin, who was retained after serving as the team’s interim offensive line coach last year. New offensive assistant Sean Binckes will be making his NFL coaching debut after two years as an offensive graduate assistant at Ohio State. Lastly, former Seahawks offensive lineman Kyle Fuller will join Carroll’s staff as an offensive quality control coach.
On defense, we were already aware of the retention of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, as well as the retention and added title of run game coordinator/defensive line coach Rob Leonard and the hiring of linebackers coach John Glenn. We also were made aware of the hiring of Joe Woods as defensive pass game coordinator, but now we see defensive backs have been added to his title, as well. This is not to be confused with the hiring of new defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who has held the same role in the past with the Raiders (2015-16), Broncos (2017-18), Cardinals (2019-22), and Saints (2023-24).
All of the assistants on defense were breaking reports, as well. Assisting Leonard on the defensive line will be Kenyon Jackson, who served in the same assistant defensive line position for the Texans last year. Ty McKenzie has been hired as defensive assistant/linebackers coach. McKenzie was an inside linebackers coach for the Titans (2018-19), a linebackers coach for the Lions (2020), and an outside linebackers coach for the Dolphins (2022) in the past but spent last year as a defensive analyst at the University of North Carolina. New defensive assistant Rip Rowan will be making his NFL coaching debut after spending the last three seasons as defensive line coach at Georgia Southern. Lastly, Beyah Rasool will be the team’s new defensive quality control coach, making his NFL coaching debut after time with multiple universities including, most recently, Florida.
On special teams, we already were aware that veteran special teams coordinator Tom McMahon was being retained, and now we know that both special teams assistant Derius Swinton II and quality control/special teams coach Kade Rannings have been retained in their same roles, as well. Additionally, we knew that former Seattle vice president of coaching operations Matt Capurro would be reuniting with Carroll, but we didn’t know in what capacity. We now know he’ll hold a very similar role as senior vice president of coaching operations in Las Vegas.
There we have it: the 2025 Raiders coaching staff. The top-10 scoring defense retains its leader, albeit with a bit of a different supporting cast, while the offense has been completely revamped, aside from the mentor of the phenom tight end. We’ve seen Carroll build a team into a winner in Seattle, and now we’ll see if he can do the same with a team that has the second-worst cumulative record (119-205) over the last 20 years.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Jacob Slade, LB Davion Taylor
- Released: CB Quavian White
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Tarik Black, WR Dontay Demus
- Released: G Kyle Fuller, FB Ben Mason
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Matt Landers
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Deon Jackson
- Released: RB Hassan Hall, DT Trysten Hill
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Geron Christian
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Chase Cota
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: S A.J. Finley
New England Patriots
- Released: CB William Hooper
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Matt Landers
- Released: OL Jake Merritt
New York Jets
- Released: DB Craig James
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: CB Kalon Barnes
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
- Released: TE Troy Fumagalli
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Otis Reese, WR Shi Smith
Geron Christian is back in Houston for his second stint with the team, as the lineman started eight of his 14 appearances for the Texans in 2021. The former Washington third-round pick spent the 2022 campaign with the Chiefs, where he mostly played on special teams in his 10 games.
A pair of notable running backs found jobs today. Deon Jackson joined the Browns practice squad after getting cut by the Colts last week. The RB started Week 1 for Indy, and he ultimately finished his stint with the team having collected 504 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in 27 games. Meanwhile, Jeremy McNichols is heading to San Francisco after having spent the past two seasons as one of Derrick Henry‘s backups. The former fifth-round pick got into 30 games between 2021 and 2022, collecting 655 yards from scrimmage.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OL Kyle Fuller
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Lamar Jackson
- Released: WR Dezmon Patmon
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Michael Jordan
- Released: TE Austin Allen
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Gerrid Doaks, WR Jared Wayne
- Released: RB Larry Rountree
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OL Jack Anderson, RB Tyler Goodson, TE Jordan Murray
- Released: RB Jason Huntley, TE Johnny Lumpkin, WR Mike Strachan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Ty Shelby
- Released: OT Austen Pleasants
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Miller Forristall, P Brandon Wright
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Lucky Jackson
New Orleans Saints
- Released: WR Jontre Kirklin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Jacob Copeland
- Released: DB Luq Barcoo, RB Greg Bell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Greg Eiland, OT Jason Peters (story)
- Released: QB Holton Ahlers, S Brady Breeze
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/8/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB D’Ernest Johnson
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Malcolm Smith, DB Denzel Ward
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Jayron Kearse
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: S Darian Thompson
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Taylor Decker, T Penei Sewell
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Rodney Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Ezra Cleveland, T Christian Darrisaw
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Caleb Benenoch
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Sharrod Neasman, C Ross Pierschbacher
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Joe Haden, C Kendrick Green
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR James Washington
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Dontae Johnson, S Jimmie Ward, CB K’Waun Williams, CB Darqueze Dennard
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Kyle Fuller
Washington Football Team
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Seahawks OL Kyle Fuller Signs ERFA Tender
Kyle Fuller is officially back with the Seahawks. The offensive lineman signed his ERFA tender today, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Baylor started two of his nine games as a rookie with the Texans, but he was let go after one year with the organization. The offensive lineman had brief stints with both Washington and the Dolphins before landing in Seattle prior to the 2019 campaign.
Fuller spent the majority of his first season with Seattle on the practice squad, but he saw a larger role in 2020. After sitting out the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, the lineman proceeded to appear in nine games (one start) for the Seahawks. The 27-year-old didn’t play a whole lot (78 offensive snaps, 25 special teams snaps), but he made enough of an impression to get a tender from the team.
Fuller could end up seeing more playing time during his third season with Seattle. The Seahawks lost a pair of backups this offseason in Chad Wheeler and Chance Warmack, although they’ll probably add to the position with rookies.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G R.J. Prince
- Waived: G Kofi Amichia, TE Nick Keizer
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Tommy Doles
- Waived/Injured: DB Jomon Dotson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: D’Ernest Johnson
- Waived: RB L.J. Scott
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: S Adarius Pickett
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: WR Justin Sumpter
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: C Tony Adams, G Kyle Fuller
- Waived: C Kirk Barron
- Waived/Injured: G Isaac Asiata
New England Patriots
- Waived: DT Frank Herron
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Alex Brown
- Waived: DL Damontre Moore
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Bryant Mitchell
- Waived: LS Dan Godsil
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Jalen Tolliver
Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/17
Thursday has been chock-full of draft signings. Here are the latest rookies to ink deals:
Buffalo Bills
- Round 5 (No. 163 overall): Matt Milano, LB (Boston College)
- Round 6 (No. 195): Tanner Vallejo, LB (Boise State)
Chicago Bears
- Round 4 (No. 119): Tarik Cohen, RB (North Carolina A&T)
- Round 5 (No. 147): Jordan Morgan, OL (Kutztown)
Cleveland Browns
- Round 4 (No. 126): Howard Wilson, CB (Houston)
- Round 5 (No. 160): Roderick Johnson, OL (Florida State)
- Round 7 (No. 252): Matthew Dayes, RB (North Carolina State)
Denver Broncos
- Round 3 (No. 101): Brendan Langley, CB (Lamar)
Houston Texans
- Round 7 (No. 243): Kyle Fuller, C (Baylor)
Indianapolis Colts
- Round 2 (No. 46): Quincy Wilson, CB (Florida) [Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star]
- Round 5 (No. 158) Nate Hairston, CB (Temple)
- Round 6 (No. 161): Anthony Walker, LB (Northwestern)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Round 7 (No. 222): Jalen Myrick, CB (Minnesota) [via John Oesher of Jaguars.com, on Twitter]
Tennessee Titans
- Round 7 (No. 236): Brad Seaton, T (Villanova) [Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle]
Dolphins Notes: Landry, Pouncey, Jones
Although the Dolphins plan to offer an extension with wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the club has yet to begin talks with Landry or indicated when such discussions might occur, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Landry, however, is handling the situation well, per Jackson, and may have helped his case by showing up for workouts earlier this week. Fellow Miami wideout Kenny Stills landed a four-year, $32MM deal on the first day of free agency, and Landry figures to eclipse that total. After averaging 96 receptions and 1,017 yards during his first three NFL seasons, Landy could theoretically target the recent deals inked by Doug Baldwin and Keenan Allen, each of which pays north of $11MM annually.
Here’s more from Miami:
- The Dolphins are cognizant of the need to find a backup plan to center Mike Pouncey, who has dealt with nagging hip injuries in recent years, per Jackson. Pouncey doesn’t believe the issue is career-threatening, but he did miss 11 games during the 2016 season, and Miami is aware it needs to be prepared if Pouncey is sidelined again in 2017. With that in mind, the Dolphins recently put Baylor center Kyle Fuller (not to be confused with the Bears cornerback of the same name) through a workout. Indiana guard Dan Feeney has also met with the Dolphins, and could conceivably be an option at the pivot. At present, second-year pro Anthony Steen — who started seven contests last season — is Pouncey’s direct backup.
- Safety Reshad Jones‘ extension with the Dolphins actually covers only a four-year term, not five years as had been previously reported, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap indicates. The deal has a base value of $48MM, and contains $19.885MM in full guarantees. The guarantee money is comprised of a $9MM signing bonus and Jones’ 2017 and 2018 base salaries, per Fitzgerald. Another ~$13MM is guaranteed for injury only, and will fully guarantee on the third day of the 2018 and 2019 league years.
- In case you missed it, the Dolphins “love” Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp and Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett. Miami was expected to target edge defenders and guards in the draft, so both Lamp and Barnett will fill needs for the club. Both Lamp and Barnett are considered Round 1 prospects, and both could be available when the Dolphins pick at No. 22 (of course, the possibility exists that both are already off the board, as well).
