Las Vegas Raiders' terrible defense On HC or DC?

The Las Vegas Raiders were home to one of the worst NFL defenses of the 2023 season. It seems new head coach Josh McDaniels is to blame for this horrible defense. Patrick Graham, the defensive coordinator he appointed, has also experienced little success as a play caller in the NFL.

Patrick Graham previously worked alongside McDaniels as the New England Patriots' assistant coach from 2012 to 2015. His previous NFL team records as defensive coordinator are:

2019: 5 -11 with the Miami Dolphins

2020: 6 - 10 with the New York Giants

2021: 4 - 13 with the New York Giants

2022: 6 - 11 with the Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders' experience problems in every unit

Aside from Max Crosby, the defensive frontline was lifeless. Besides Max Crosby, no other Raider had more than five sacks last NFL season, and the defensive line struggled to get to the quarterback. The frontline and the linebacker corps redeemed themselves in the run game, posting a league average unit.

The Raiders' pass defense game was one of the worst in the NFL. In a tie with the New York Giants, they grabbed the least interceptions in the NFL and didn't take the ball away or stop anyone from racking up yards.

The Las Vegas Raiders secondary is a mix of undrafted free agents, late-round picks (Nate Hobbs/Amik Robertson) and cast-offs from other teams (Rock Ya - Sin). Graham was working against the odds to put together a respectable unit.

The Las Vegas Raiders need to draft/spend on their back-end defense during the NFL off-season, but will they do that under an offensive coach who is on the hot seat for falling out with the franchise QB?

“So, to me the 4-3/3-4 discussions is almost like it’s antiquated, to be honest with you. What you’re talking about sub-defense, do you have guys that can rush the passer? Yes. Do you have guys that can stop the run? Yes. Do you have guys that can cover, that have shown they can cover in the past?

"Yes. So, those are the three major things I’m looking for aside from tackling, so, yeah, I’m good with that,” Patrick Graham said at the opening press conference as Raiders DC.

Entering year two, Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham’s defense needs to acquire more pass rushers as they have adequate run defenders. Graham will also need the organization to invest in better defensive backs to improve coverage and the turnover rate. If the front office chooses to make the offense lean to help ease whatever new QB McDaniels gets in the building, the defense will remain awful.

The Las Vegas Raiders fans will criticize Patrick Graham if the defense does not improve. Blame, however, must start with McDaniels, who hired someone who was under-qualified and proceeded to not provide him with talent. So who is really to blame here?