Rod Marinelli hired as Raiders D-line coach to reunite with Jon Gruden

The Raiders had one of the most improved defensive lines in football this season, which it is why it is so unexpected that their defensive line coach is now looking for a new job.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has hired Rod Marinelli as his new defensive line coach to replace Brentson Buckner, Jim Trotter of NFL Network reports. As Trotter notes, the Raiders had 32 sacks under Buckner this season after tallying just 13 in 2018. They also improved from 30th in the NFL against the run in 2018 to 8th this year.

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 served as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys for the past seven seasons, and he worked on Gruden’s staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 through 2005. The 70-year-old Marinelli is a respected coach who has a history with Gruden, but many feel Gruden would have been better off hiring him to replace Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther while keeping Buckner.

The Cowboys allowed 103.5 rushing yards per game this season under Marinelli, which was 11th in the NFL. Their 39 sacks placed them 15th.