4 Raiders who could follow Patrick Graham if the Jacksonville Jaguars hire him as HC

The Jacksonville Jaguars continue their search for a head coach after missing out on their top two options. They lost Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and Aaron Glenn is probably going to the New York Jets. That said, there are still a handful of enticing candidates up for grabs, and Jacksonville has set its sights on three of them, including Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

The Jags already met with Graham once, and if they're bringing Graham back, it's because they liked what they saw in their first meeting.

While Graham isn't nearly as accomplished as other candidates, he definitely has an interesting resume. His name began to earn recognition around the league when he was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He would later get the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent the last three years.

Apart from star defensive end Maxx Crosby, Graham routinely lacked playmakers during his stint in the desert. Nevertheless, he routinely got the most out of his players and put together solid defenses. Granted, his work was overshadowed by the Raiders' constant losing, but there was only so much he could do with the talent he had at hand.

Either way, Graham is generating buzz as the co-favorite for the Jaguars job. Liam Coen has been the other co-favorite since the search began.

Sure, Coen is also in play for the job and you could even make the case that he's a better candidate. Heck, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bracing themselves for the possibility of losing him to Jacksonville.

Circling back to Graham, he has a realistic chance to become the next Jaguars head coach, and if he does, he could bring in these four pending Raiders free agents with him.

K'Lavon Chaisson, defensive end

You have probably heard of K'Lavon Chaisson. A first-round pick in 2020, he spent four disappointing seasons with the Jags and was given the boot last year. He signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers but was surprisingly cut just before the start of the regular season.

Chaisson then signed to the Raiders practice squad and was later promoted to their active roster. The player known as Swiper made the most out of his third chance and went on to set career bests in sacks (five) and total tackles (32). Moreover, he logged his first interception in the NFL.

It's fair to say that Chaisson finally put it all together in 2024. While bringing him back may not be a popular move among fans, the Jags need to round out their pass-rush rotation behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Why not do it with a familiar face?

Malcolm Koonce, defensive end

If you're not thrilled with the idea of bringing back Chaisson, there's another Las Vegas defensive end who could give the Jags' pass rush a boost: Malcolm Koonce. A third-round pick in the 2021 draft, the Buffalo product got off to a slow start to his NFL season. However, he broke out in 2023, registering eight sacks.

Koonce was poised to be even better in 2024 but he spent the season on Injured Reserve after suffering a knee injury just before the opener. Given that he's coming off a serious injury, the Jags could sign him on the cheap. The Peekskill, New York native could turn out to be a low-risk, high-reward addition.

Adam Butler, defensive tackle

In 2023, Adam Butler showed flashes of the player he could be if given a shot. The Raiders realized his upside and brought him back on a modest one-year, $1.9 million deal. He exceeded expectations and then some.

Butler went on to log 65 total tackles (nearly double his previous career best), eight tackles for a loss, and a career-high 10 quarterback hits. If that wasn't enough, he tallied five sacks for the second straight year.

While the Jags have a pair of promising defensive tackles in Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson, Butler could give their interior rotation a boost.

Tre'von Moehrig, safety

Most new head coaches like to bring some of the guys because they already know their system and can help other players pick it up. It would be no different with Patrick Graham, who could bring Tre'von Moehrig with him.

Andre Cisco has been a starter at safety the past three years but he's set to hit the open market, and it's uncertain if the Jags want to re-sign him. If he does leave, Moehrig would be a more than capable replacement.

Although he was inconsistent early in his NFL career, the former TCU Horned Frog has developed into a reliable starter. The past two seasons, he recorded five interceptions and 18 passes defensed. The Jaguars could certainly use that kind of production at safety.

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