The Las Vegas Raiders have signed Gus Bradley as their new defensive coordinator.
The hiring comes after a disappointing season that had started off as promising. In the first nine games of the season, the Raiders were at six wins and three losses. However, defensive shortcomings hit the team as they finished eight wins and eight losses.
Bradley had previously been the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-2016. Since then, he served as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers for the past four years.
The Raiders ranked 30th in the NFL for takeaways last season with 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. Compared to the Chargers who last season had 19 takeaways, 12 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
The Chargers under Bradley ranked 10th in total defense, this season. Los Angeles ranked ninth in the league for defense against the pass and 18th against the run. Meanwhile, Las Vegas only ranked 25th for total defense, 26th against the pass and 24th against the run.
Bradley is ready for building up the defense of Las Vegas. “The style that you should see is a team that plays with great effort, great enthusiasm, great toughness, and a defense that plays smart,” Bradley said. The defensive coach spoke about how to build a team defense saying, “It’s based on fundamentals … around the personnel we have and putting guys into position to make plays.”
The new defensive coach hopes to start building upfront, “Get things right upfront and then build in everywhere else,” he said.
