Raiders fire DL coach Brenston Bucker, hire former Cowboys DC Rod Marinelli

The Raiders haven’t made a coaching move this offseason; until now. According to Jim Trotter of ESPN, Jon Gruden has made the decision to fire defensive line coach Brenston Buckner in favor of Rod Marinelli.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden has fired respected defensive line coach Brenston Buckner and is expected to replace him with Rod Marinelli. Under Buckner, the Raiders improved from 13 sacks in 2018 to 32 this year, and from 30th against the run to 8th.

— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) January 14, 2020

Marinelli has been with the Dallas Cowboys since 2014 as he was the team’s defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He is considered one of the league’s best defensive line coaches and will inherit a team full of young defensive line talent. Marinelli previous worked with Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay as he was the team’s defensive line coach from 1996-2005.

Buckner was hired by Gruden in 2019 to coach the defensive line. While he is one of the league’s most respected defensive line coaches in all of football, he just doesn’t have the same pedigree or experience as Marinelli. It’s a tough move by Gruden to let go of Buckner, but expect Marinelli to have a big impact on players like Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby in Year 1.