Josh McDaniels on Transition of New Defensive Players

The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping for a defensive turnaround in 2023 after a bad showing in 2022.

The team did not create many turnovers or get to the quarterback, and allowed the league’s highest opposing passer rating.

The Raiders made several moves to add defensive players in free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft, as General Manager Dave Ziegler and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham both know they have to be better on that side of the ball.

Coach Josh McDaniels knows it too, and with so many new faces expected to contribute on defense, wanted to create a seamless transition for them to the team.

McDaniels addressed the media at training camp and spoke about that transition.

“Yeah, I talked about how we kind of looked at ourselves last year and then evaluated it in the offseason,” McDaniels said. “What do we need to do? What can we do a little better to help ourselves? How do we really mold this around the people we have and make good choices about that? And I think we’ve simplified some things and that always makes things a little bit simpler in terms of being able to get up to speed and play fast on the field. And I think we’re seeing some evidence that that’s happening. And I think the maturity level and the intelligence level of the guys you just talked about, I think that helps, you know what I mean? Because regardless of how you could do whatever you want with Marcus Epps, [Robert] Spillane, [Brandon] Facyson, Adam Butler, they’re smart football players. They played a lot of football in their careers, maybe some other places, but they’ve seen a lot and so being able to gather information from the coaches and go out there and execute it becomes a little easier. So, I like what we’re trying to do. I think the guys are acclimating to it well, and they’re continuing to try to get better.”

A seamless transition will be crucial for all the new Raiders who are expected to play significant snaps this season, so they can get in rhythm with each other quickly and start clicking on defense.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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