The ball belongs to the Raiders.
At least that is how Rob Leonard wants his defense to see it. In the air. Tucked against a running back’s ribs. Exposed for a split second as a receiver turns upfield.
Every snap presents another opportunity to take possession of something the opposing offense is merely borrowing.
And the Raiders are playing as if they want it back.
That mentality is helping define a defense whose energy, physicality and relentless pursuit of turnovers have been instrumental in a 3-0 start as they welcome the Chiefs to Allegiant Stadium.
Through three games, the Raiders lead the NFL with nine takeaways and are tied for fourth with 10 sacks. They rank 11th in total defense, allowing 316.7 yards per game, but are surrendering the seventh-fewest points per game at 18.
The aggression is producing the extra possessions and the quarterback disruption Leonard is demanding.
Ask Maxx Crosby where the Raiders’ takeaway mentality begins and he points directly to Leonard.
“It starts with Robbie. He trusts us as a group. We emphasize every day in the building about taking the ball away. We continue to do that. I think we had four in the second half. You continue to do that and you have a lot better chance of winning.”
The numbers support him.
The Raiders own an NFL-best plus-five turnover differential. Last season, they managed 16 takeaways and finished minus-nine.
They are already more than halfway to that takeaway total, with 14 games remaining.
But the clearest illustration of Leonard’s influence came Sunday in New Orleans, where a defense that had struggled much of the afternoon to corral the Saints seized control of the outcome.
The Raiders forced turnovers on the Saints’ final four possessions, helping turn an 11-point second-half deficit into a 35-27 victory.
Four possessions. Four opportunities to change the game.
Four times the Raiders took the ball.
That is the standard Leonard is trying to establish. And the way his players describe it, the pursuit begins long before anyone needs a fourth-quarter rescue.
Leonard is a first-time NFL defensive coordinator with a lengthy apprenticeship. He broke into the league with the Giants in 2013, spent three seasons on Brian Flores’ staff in Miami and coached Baltimore’s outside linebackers under defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald in 2022. He joined the Raiders in 2023, coaching the defensive line under Patrick Graham and later adding defensive run game coordinator duties before earning the promotion this year.
Now, after years helping other coaches implement their plans, he is putting his own stamp on the entire defense.
And it’s clear that being disruptive is a big part of that stamp.
“You get what you emphasize. You choose what to focus on,” Leonard said. “There’s a million things in this profession and life taking away from the focus of it, taking away the ball. So, it can’t just be empty words, and I think these guys have taken it to heart.”
Message received.
“Our style of play is taking the ball away,” linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “We have to go every week and see how many takeaways we can get.”
There is an expectation embedded in that statement.
Dean talks about takeaways as an assignment. Something to pursue with the same urgency and attention as getting lined up correctly or making a tackle.
This week more than ever with the Chiefs in town.
Cornerback Eric Stokes offered an even more vivid description of the ball awareness Leonard is emphasizing.
“If the ball is in the air, it’s my ball. It ain’t no 50/50 ball,” Stokes said. “And even if the running back’s got it, the first person hits him; the second person is punching.”
That second part helps explain the energy the Raiders are playing with.
The first defender has a job. So does the next one arriving. Getting to the ball creates another opportunity to knock it loose and finishing the pursuit can put someone in position to recover it.
Everyone has a reason to keep coming.
For defensive back Taron Johnson, the connection between the coaching emphasis and the players executing it is clear.
“The coaches are definitely honest about always going after the ball. Even if the ball’s not in the air, strip attempts,” Johnson said. “So, any way you can get the ball, they’re always talking about it. But we also have those guys to really get after it, you know what I’m saying? And they’re precise in what they’re trying to do, and they do it well. We do it well.”
The word “precise” matters.
There is a purpose behind the aggression. The Raiders are trying to make a tackle and find the football. Arrive with force and recognize an opening. Play fast enough to create an opportunity and remain aware enough to capitalize on it.
Dean embodies much of that approach.
His speed gets him into plays. His physicality makes his arrival consequential. Together, those qualities help give Leonard’s defense the urgency it is trying to sustain.
“It’s just [the] impact he has on the game,” Johnson said. “How fast he is to get to that ball, and when he gets to the ball, how violent he is.”
The Raiders still have plenty to clean up. Their performance against the Saints made that clear, especially during stretches when they struggled to pressure quarterback Tyler Shough and get off the field.
Counting on four consecutive takeaways to escape trouble is asking an awful lot.
Leonard’s challenge is building a defense that can dictate more of the afternoon while maintaining the aggression that helped rescue Sunday’s game.
But something meaningful is taking hold.
His players trust the message. Crosby credits the trust coming back in their direction. And a defense that too often failed to change games last season is developing an identity around doing exactly that.
The ball is there to be taken.
Leonard’s Raiders are coming for it.
