Overview
- Las Vegas named Travis Smith its defensive line coach under new head coach Klint Kubiak on Monday, according to multiple reports.
- Smith spent last season with Tennessee as defensive run game coordinator and was listed as a senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist on Robert Saleh’s staff.
- He previously led Chicago’s defensive line from 2022 to 2024, a tenure that included Montez Sweat’s 2023 Pro Bowl plus a run defense that topped the league in fewest rushing yards allowed that season.
- This is Smith’s second stint with the Raiders after a 2012–2021 run in multiple roles, making Kubiak the sixth Raiders head coach he has worked under.
- The move comes as Kubiak rounds out a staff that includes OC Andrew Janocko, DC Rob Leonard and assistant head coach Mike McCoy, with development needs across a young defensive line and uncertainty surrounding Maxx Crosby.