Raiders to interview Bears assistant
Desai was defensive coordinator for NFL’S 22nd-ranked unit
One day after hiring Champ Kelly as an assistant general manager, the Raiders reached back to Kelly’s Chicago Bears connections as they continue their search for a defensive coordinator.
Sean Desai, the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 2021, interviewed for the same position with the Raiders on Thursday.
The 38-year-old Desai coached nine years with the Bears, including two seasons as their safeties coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator after Chuck Pagano retired following the 2020 season.
“He’s a smart guy. He puts guys in position to make plays,” said Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who was second in the NFL this season with 18½ sacks.
The interview of Desai likely signals the official end of Gus Bradley’s time as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator. New Raiders coach Josh Mcdaniels said on Monday he will speak with all of the Raiders’ assistants from 2020, but between Desai officially interviewing and Bradley reportedly talking to the Indianapolis Colts about their defensive coordinator opening, it appears Bradley is no longer in the plans.
Desai became available when the Bears fired coach Matt Nagy and replaced him with Matt Eberflus, the former Colts defensive coordinator. Eberflus since has hired Alan Williams, who was the Colts’ defensive backs coach, as his defensive coordinator.
Desai’s ties to Kelly, whose time with the Bears’ player-personnel department overlapped with Desai, help relative to the Raiders’ opportunity. So too does his recent experience — the Bears finished sixth in the NFL in yards given up last year — and his background in education and teaching.
Desai has a master’s degree in higher and post-secondary education from Columbia University and a doctorate in educational administration from Temple University, where he was an adjunct professor for two years.
That fits the profile Mcdaniels is seeking as he puts together his coaching staff, which is methodically coming together.
“And he brings truthfulness,” Quinn said. “He’s going to tell you straight up how it is and you can either get offended by it or get better from it.”
On the field, Desai oversaw a 3-4 defensive scheme in Chicago, a formation in line with what other defensive coordinators the Raiders have been linked to also utilize.
By no means was the Bears’ defense great last year. It surrendered 23.9 points per game (22nd in the NFL) and ranked 26th in turnovers forced with 16.
Still, it is worth noting that two of their best players — linebacker Khalil Mack and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks — played just seven and nine games, respectively, as the entire defense was heavily impacted by injuries. In fact, of the Bears’ 11 defensive starters at the start of the season, only two played all 17 games.
“Last year, we might not always have made the plays, but he put the guys in the right positions,” Quinn said.
If Mcdaniels opts to play the 3-4, it would represent a big shift in schematic philosophy. The Raiders have been a 4-3 defense the past four years.
Mcdaniels said the plan for the Raiders is to be multiple and flexible. He said the flow of games generally dictates how long teams stay in a base defense.
Mcdaniels officially has filled two assistant coaching positions, one of which was retaining Edgar Bennett as the Raiders’ wide receivers coach. In addition, Mcdaniels tabbed former New England Patriots offensive assistant Bo Hardegree as his quarterbacks coach.