Joe Woods is no stranger to the Silver & Black.<\/p>\n
The long-time defensive coach was the Oakland Raiders defensive backs coach for one season in 2014 and the 55-year-old returned last season. And now, Woods is the defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Las Vegas<\/a> variant. In between that time, Woods elevated to defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos<\/a> (2017-18), Cleveland Browns<\/a> (2020-22), and New Orleans Saints<\/a> (2023-24).<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Much of the Raiders 2025 staff was cleared out with only four incumbents being kept by new head coach Klint Kubiak: Tight ends coach Luke Steckel, Rob Leonard (promoted to defensive coordinator), Connor McQueen (offensive quality control coach), and Woods.<\/p>\n Retaining Woods shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise.<\/p>\n Beyond his familiarity with the Raiders, the veteran coach has linked with Kubiak with the Broncos (2016-18) and Saints (2024). NFL coaching staffs a rife with prior working relationships, of course, but Woods being retrained is key for Leonard\u2019s upcoming defense.<\/p>\n In his first year as the defensive coordinator, Leonard has a grand opportunity in front of him to prove Kubiak right. The 39-year-old has learned from sound defensive minds over the course of his career and is lauded for being a player\u2019s coach that brings energy and enthusiasm to the defensive rooms. And the neophyte defensive play caller made no bones about what\u2019s going on this offseason for him and his defensive assistants.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you rely on conceptually the concepts that have started to build here, things you like, things that you trust, things that you know very well. Then you understand why you would call that, you understand the weaknesses of how that would be attacked, and you have the confidence to install it to all 11 guys,\u201d Leonard said earlier this week when asked about the different influences he and his staff gathered over the course of their careers. \u201cSo, you know all the stops I\u2019ve been at and picking and choosing and making sure it fits all together, especially from a terminology standpoint.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the coaches are the first litmus test for that, like if they can get it, we can coach it. It\u2019s one thing to understand it in the meeting, but can we actually coach this and get it executed?\u201d<\/p>\n Having Woods and safeties coach Matt Robinson in tow \u2014 alongside senior defensive assistant Al Holcomb, defensive line coach Travis Smith, and linebackers coach Ronell Williams \u2014 will help Leonard\u2019s defense to execute.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Woods in particular is as vital cog in that as he\u2019s renowned for crafting a versatile secondary that can disguise intentions with looking like one coverage pre-snap before doing something else altogether post snap.<\/p>\n That\u2019s something Leonard is keen on doing and the defensive players are steeping themselves in during OTAs. And it\u2019ll be stressed further as the Raiders engage in more offseason work including mandatory minicamp next week and training camp in late July.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I mean, it\u2019s cool, because it kind of keeps offense guessing a little bit,\u201d Chinn said of the defense being installed. \u201cWhen we have guys who can play in different spots and rotate different ways, it doesn\u2019t necessarily get the offense a heads up of what we\u2019re doing and why certain guys are in certain spots because we can spin anybody down and spin anybody back.\u201d<\/p>\n Chinn, who operates as both a safety and big nickel (he stands 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds), is a the type of interchangeable chess piece defender that Woods cut his teeth with during his run coaching secondaries and as a defensive coordinator. Las Vegas also added intriguing rookies Treydan Stukes<\/a> and Dalton Johnson \u2014 traditional safeties to can play in the slot \u2014 in the 2026 NFL Draft and veteran slot cornerback Taron Johnson<\/a> who can dabble at safety, too.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have guys who have versatility, it allows you to do so much more things defensively,\u201d Woods said. \u201cDifferent packages, how you can move guys around on the field, we\u2019re excited about it and we\u2019re kind of tinkering a few things here and there to just see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods\u2019 defensive philosophy also is set to align with Leonard\u2019s aggressive, attacking style. The defensive backs coach historically relies on zone-heavy coverages mixed with press coverage concepts. The intent is to disrupt the receivers at the line of scrimmage while also providing smothering coverage on the backend. And defensive backs being able to get down and dirty in run support, too.<\/p>\n Leonard isn\u2019t alone in his quest for installation and execution. Kubiak, the head coach and primary offensive play caller, is doing the same. He noted that he and Leonard are working cohesively as new systems are being integrated, but made it clear, that side of the ball belongs to his defensive coordinator and his staff.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we\u2019re working together. We\u2019re teaming up on these installs, but Rob\u2019s running the show,\u201d Kubiak said. \u201cHe\u2019s done a great job. He\u2019s got a lot of talented assistants with Joe Woods, and there\u2019s some veteran coaches on there that are doing a great job, and we\u2019re going to put Coach Robbie in positions to call periods here at OTAs and in training camp so that he\u2019s ready to go come the season.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Leonard, Woods is the type of coach that relates to his players well and it\u2019s that ability to vibe in the defensive rooms, practice field, and locker room that afford both defensive coaches the opportunity to get to a granular level with their group. As Leonard noted above, install is one thing, execution is another and we\u2019ll find out how both are coming along with the Raiders as the offseason proceeds.<\/p>\n What\u2019s unquestioned though is the respect Woods developed with his defensive backs so far.<\/p>\n