RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesLAS VEGAS , NV - DECEMBER 7: Maxx Crosby (98) of the Las Vegas Raiders hangs his head after a first down by RJ Harvey (12) of the Denver Broncos during the third quarter of the Broncos' 24-17 win at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, December 7, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
Previously, an article was published outlining what to really expect from the Rob Leonard defense, over the next week or two, I’m going to outline a few specific concepts that I believe Leonard will run, and thus what to expect from these units. The first of these, is the 5-1-5 defense, which at it’s core is a 3-4 defense with some core adaptations. The defense originally was developed by Wink Martindale, and then adopted heavily by Brian Flores, before both Mike MacDonald & Jesse Minter adopted the unit. If you didn’t see the trend, Raiders DC Rob Leonard has worked under MacDonald & Flores, while also working for Patrick Graham who dabbled with the 5-1-5 defense, but lacked the personnel to do so.
* If you want a quick prediction what I think the defense looks like, scroll to the bottom *
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The core of the defense is to build the defense around a hybrid front that can work against the run & the pass, with core of the unit surrounding hybrid DE/DT’s on the interior defensive line and hybrid DE/OLB types on EDGE. Additionally, the defense has some core principles which are largely in line with what Raiders DC Rob Leonard wants to run which are aggression, attack, pursuit, and communication. The defense can often be classified as a 3-4 defense, largely because of the way the EDGE & LB are positioned, though a core part of the linebackers are often their existence as a box safety. An additional core part of this defense comes at linebacker, with run defense linebackers, who can also provide production in the pass rush department. As for the secondary, the scheme lives off versatile defenders in the secondary, and a bandit (which I touch on later).
Below is a standard picture, via “That Franchise Guy” on YouTube showing the Vikings iteration of the 5-1-5 look:
The Vikings traditionally run the defense with 3 safeties, as Josh Metellus plays their “bandit safety” role, and while the Raiders don’t have an identical player to Metellus there’s a few players on the roster with those capabilities to play a nickel defender, slot corner, free safety, and box linebacker role. The defense lives in a zone where at it’s core 4 defensive backs are on the field, though most often it’s 5 with one charted as an inside linebacker which is something I’d expect to see a bit of this season for the Raiders. Unlike the Vikings, the Raiders main defense will not be the 5-1-3 “penny” defense, largely with their backend personnel and the Raiders having two good linebackers in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean who signed large contracts this off-season. Despite that, it’s likely a unit that will be ran heavily this year, and one if done well can see a ton of success.
The 5-1-3 defense also adds a strong layer of versatility, something again that has been a priority for Rob Leonard. Unlike the Vikings, the Raiders will not live out of the 5-1-3, but they will run the defense with the ability to rotate into other coverages such as a traditional 3-4, a 4-3, and even a 3-3 defense with a variety of rotations during pre and post snap. Another core aspect of the defense comes with the ability to rotate the defensive backs, which Rob Leonard has stated will happen. The unit has the ability to rotate their strong safety into the bandit role, or into the nickel, while their free safety can also swap with the bandit and strong safety. When it comes to Cover-3, you’ll see the boundary corners flip into the back third coverages, the free safety often rotates up to cover one flat along with the strong safety, and your bandit safety plays a hybrid deep middle and mid coverage.
Defensive Line:
As mentioned, the 5-1 defense has a core philosophy that surrounds athletic versatile DT/DE hybrids, which despite lacking some talent on their interior defensive line, the Raiders do fit that mold. For a full breakdown of how their DL will operate, you can check out an article from April where I broke down the unit . The traditional “defensive tackle” is going to be a primary 2, 3, and 4i defensive tackle while your “defensive end” traditionally lines up at the 4 & 5 technique (don’t read too much into this please). A true traditional EDGE rusher will likely be aligned at the 9 or 7 technique, with some time at 6 and 5 technique as well dependent on the system. Lastly, a “nose tackle” is usually lining at the 0, 1, or 2i technique. If you want to sum it up in one sentence “The IDL is a traditional 3-4, focusing on taking gaps, and attacking the front while the EDGE rushers collapse the pocket horizontally”
In terms of a 5-1-5 front, a true NT will be on the field often aligned at a true 0, with two base DT/DE often as 3-Techniques, and then two EDGE rushers at a 7-Tech or Wide-9 (need to be an UBER athlete). For the Raiders, it’s clear they will have a competition with nose tackle between 7th rounder Brandon Cleveland, UDFA Gary Smith, and free agent Benito Jones. The winner of the nose tackle competition is going to need to live off two core factors, athleticism & a minor ability to rush the passer. Among the three, Brandon Cleveland is the best athlete, though he can get pushed around at times which can create an issue with his ability to truly hold a 0-technique role. Benito Jones & Gary Smith are adequate athletes, but struggle to present a real threat in the twist/stunt department, which Cleveland does extremely well.
As above, the defensive line will work heavily with twists/stunts, something Leonard has done through his career with the Raiders defensive line. A core part of being able to pull off twists & stunts is athletic ability, and versatility on the ...
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