Jack Del Rio Will Have Heavy Influence on Oakland Raiders’ 2015 Roster
By Kevin Saito
New Oakland Raiders‘ HC Jack Del Rio has something the vast majority of his predecessors haven’t had – some power and control. The late Al Davis always listened to the input from his head coaches on the topic of personnel moves – promptly rejecting much of it – and shaped the Oakland roster guided by his vision for the team. Which, given the last dozen years or so, didn’t work out too well, to say the least.
After Davis passed away, one of Mark Davis’ first priorities was to bring in a football man to help resurrect the franchise. It says a lot about the younger Davis that he knows his limitations and reached out for the help he needed. It was something his father was loathe to do.
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After Reggie McKenzie was given the title of GM, Davis more or less let him have free rein to shape the team. One of his initial acts was to fire Hue Jackson – the last coach to get the Raiders to a non-losing record – and brought in Dennis Allen to run the team, continuing the the elder Davis’ trend of hiring head coaches without any actual head coaching experience.
While bringing in coaches who haven’t actually run a team before can sometimes work out well, in the case of Allen, it obviously came crashing down in a fiery heap as the Raiders went 8-28 under his watch.
Jan 16, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Jack Del Rio (right) poses with Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at press conference to announce his hiring as Raiders head coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Allen’s dismissal after four games last season led to plenty of speculation about who would be leading the Raiders in 2015. Much of the early speculation had the Raiders making a big play for former San Francisco 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Obviously, that didn’t work out as Harbaugh fled the NFL entirely.
That led to a brief power struggle between McKenzie and Davis. According to numerous reports, Oakland’s GM wanted to retain interim HC Tony Sparano while Davis championed Del Rio. It wasn’t much of a surprise to see that Davis won that battle.
Del Rio’s hiring though, has led to a lot of chatter about the current power structure in Oakland. Though McKenzie is still the GM and retains much of his power, for the first time in a very, very long time, the Raiders’ head coach will wield some actual power when it comes to personnel decisions.
Answering questions following Del Rio’s introductory press conference, Davis talked a lot about McKenzie and Del Rio working together as a team to build and shape Oakland’s roster. But when pressed on the matter of who would be making the final decisions on the roster, Davis’ response was a little more telling.
"“Who should be in charge of the 46-man roster on game day? I would say the coach.”"
It likely won’t be that black and white. McKenzie and Del Rio will undoubtedly work together closely, share information, and make the best decisions on the shape of Oakland’s 2015 roster as a cohesive team. But Del Rio’s standing within the organization, and the fact that he’ll have real, actual, tangible input in helping shape Oakland’s roster is not something his predecessors enjoyed.
So what does this clout he wields within the Raiders’ organization mean for the team?
It likely means that Del Rio is going to have some real say when the free agency window opens in March. Will the Raiders make a play for Ndamukong Suh? How about Terrance Knighton? Could Jason Pierre-Paul join former teammate Justin Tuck in Oakland?
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As a defensive minded coach, you would have to believe that Del Rio will be looking to add quality free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Believing that defense wins championships, it’s likely that Del Rio will be looking to add some veterans who can still have a solid impact to a core of solid young playmakers like Khalil Mack, Justin Ellis, Sio Moore, DJ Hayden, and Travis Carrie.
Del Rio’s clout could also mean that he will have a big say on who the Raiders take with the fourth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. While people are clamoring for the Raiders to take Alabama wideout Amari Cooper if he’s available at four, the fact remains that this year’s draft class is deep in receiving talent. While Oakland needs to upgrade their receiving corps, it doesn’t have to be done in the first round.
As with free agency, it seems reasonable that Del Rio will be pushing to take some impact players on defense in the draft as well. Should he be available at four, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see the Raiders spend the fourth pick on USC’s Leonard Williams. Williams seems like the sort of player Del Rio loves, will upgrade the pass rush, and he can step in and have an impact immediately.
The offseason will be interesting to watch. Raiders fans must hope that Del Rio and McKenzie are on the same page, can indeed work together cohesively, and that a nasty internal power struggle isn’t brewing. Schisms within an organization can be very detrimental to a franchise – just as the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.
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Oakland has a lot of questions to answer, yet one thing is for certain – Del Rio is going to have a lot of say over which free agents are courted, and what is done with that fourth overall pick. Oakland’s opening day roster will have Del Rio’s fingerprints all over it, as he shapes it from McKenzie’s roster, to the roster he’s envisioned and is comfortable heading into the season with.
While Davis is not pushing McKenzie out the door by any means, it’s clear that he respects Del Rio a ton, and is already beginning to defer to him. And that deference will give Del Rio much more stature, clout, and ultimately control over the roster than any coach had under Davis’ father.
And ultimately, that is good news for the Raiders.