Clelin Ferrell Believes He Can Flourish Under Raiders New Coaching Staff
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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell was on the verge of following fellow first rounders out the door, but something flipped the switch during the offseason.
The 2019 fourth overall pick has been far from achieving any expectations and as he enters his fourth season with the Raiders, he’s looking for a fresh start under the new coaching staff.
It doesn’t help that Ferrell is on his fourth defensive coordinator with the Raiders -- Paul Guenther, Rod Marinelli, Gus Bradley and now Patrick Graham.
Ferrell has said Graham has opened his mind in regards to football.
"I love everything about [the new defense] because it really stretches you out as a football player," said Ferrell. "It makes you navigate, and really find every inch of what you can potentially do. And for me, it's been a blessing, for sure, for [Graham] to ask me to do certain things.
Year after year, he’s been expected to live up to the expectations that come with being a top five overall pick.
He’s fallen down the depth chart to the point where he’s contributed on special teams.
Last season, he became a backup to defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
And this season, he’ll be looking to do the same but for Pro Bowl edge rusher, Chandler Jones.
The backup role seems to fit Ferrell quite well.
Ferrell made the initial 53-man roster after having a good performance during the preseason.
“You can't just be one-dimensional, you got to be able to adapt,” added Ferrell.
Ferrell has bought in with the new coaching staff and their system and is optimistic he can flourish, just as other players have under a new coaching staff.
Ferrell is one of three first round picks from the 2019 draft class that the Raiders have declined to pick up their fifth-year option.
So he will be playing for a new contract.
"He's a physical guy, and we obviously want to put a tough, physical defense out there on the field, and Clelin has demonstrated the ability to do that in more than one spot," said Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
"He set the edge a handful of times [against the Patriots], which is a good thing to see. He was involved in the pass rush some, dropped into coverage, actually, a couple of times.”
Only time will tell if another fresh start is exactly what he was looking for to earn him another contract with the Raiders new regime.
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