Albert Breer’s Friday news and notes discuss the new hire’s implications for Las Vegas, the Commanders’ and Seahawks’ pursuit of offensive coordinator prospects, and the impending mass coaching departure in college football.
• Kliff Kingsbury’s appointment to offensive coordinator in Las Vegas is a wise one for a few reasons.
To begin with, the offensive of the Las Vegas Raiders should be among the hardest in the NFL to deal with. Five years ago, it took Kingsbury a little bit to adjust to life as a professional. But defensive coaches were instantly put under pressure because of the widespread use of 10- and 11-personnel formations back then. Playing the “get the ball in space” game wasn’t the same in the NFL because of tighter hashes and larger, longer, quicker athletes compressing the field. He had to adapt.
With time, Kingsbury expanded on his ideas while keeping the core of his previous work, adding tight ends, gap runs, and greater protective detail—all of which are lacking in collegiate air raid systems. Additionally, many players who were switching from college football to the Arizona Cardinals found that offense—given its foundation—to be easier to understand.
As a consequence, the team finished in the top 10 in the league in Kingsbury’s second and third seasons until injuries—including one to Kyler Murray—decimated the team. The team collapsed in the coach’s fourth and last season in the desert.
In addition to all of that, Kingsbury can bridge Antonio Pierce’s experience gap since the new Raiders head coach has only two years of experience as an NFL assistant.
• With Kingsbury hired, we can now begin to examine quarterbacks the Raiders could pursue in a more realistic manner. Caleb Williams and Kingsbury spent a year together at USC. The new Vegas offensive coordinator told me in September that there were “eerie” parallels between Williams and Patrick Mahomes, who Kingsbury had at Texas Tech. Nevertheless, I don’t think the Chicago Bears will pass up the chance to choose Williams.
From there, it’s important to keep in mind that Pierce spent three years at Arizona State working with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, and Daniels would complement Kingsbury’s offensive scheme stylistically. In addition to draft prospects, there are players that could be available, like as Justin Fields and Baker Mayfield (who played under Kingsbury at Tech), who might both fit in nicely with the approach.
