The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Monday evening that they had completed an interview with Patrick Graham for their defensive coordinator opening under new head coach Liam Coen.
Graham was one of the 10 initial interviews the Jaguars had for their head coaching role, and he, Robert Saleh, and Coen were initially scheduled to come back for a second interview.
Graham had been the Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator since the 2022 season. Under Graham, the Raiders would rank 26th in scoring in 2022 and 25th in scoring this most recent season. They did, however, rank seventh in that category in 2023.
By yards per play allowed, the Raiders ranked 14th in 2024, 11th in 2023, and 27th in 2022.
In terms of blitz rate, Graham does run a bit more of an aggressive scheme, with the Raiders finishing 12th or higher in blitz rate in two of the three seasons with Graham in charge of the defense.
Before joining the Raiders as their defensive coordinator, Graham was the New York Giants assistant head coach and defensive coordinator in 2020-2021 and the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator in 2019.
After coaching at the college level for a number of years, Graham got his first NFL coaching job with the New England Patriots back in 2009. As a position coach, he’s worked both with linebackers and the defensive line.
In addition to interviewing Graham for this role, the Jaguars have also interviewed Minnesota Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones.
