After months of speculation about who will be the Raiders next defensive coordinator, the team has announced it will be Chuck Bresnahan after all. He replaces departed DC John Marshall.
“The fact that I’ve had the chance to be in defensive meetings with Chuck and watch him lead the defensive staff made it an easy decision to name him our defensive coordinator,” Head Coach Hue Jackson said in a statement. “I am impressed with his passion, attention to detail, and energy. This staff gives us the opportunity to have one of the top defenses in the NFL.”
Bresnahan was hired onto the Raiders staff as a defensive assistant prior to any Defensive Coordinator being announced. He returns to the same post he held for the Raiders from 2000 to 2003 which, of course, included their Super Bowl season of 2002. Prior to his promotion in 2000, he was the Raiders’ defensive backs coach during John Gruden’s first two seasons as head coach.
“This is an incredible opportunity for me to come back to the Raiders and work again where we had so many great years,” said Bresnahan. “It’s so exciting to be reunited with Hue Jackson because of the passion and energy that he brings. I’m also thrilled to be a part of this talented staff, many of whom I’ve shared previous success with.”
When he came to the team this offseason, it was uncertain what his role would be. At that time the primary candidate for the vacancy was Packers linebackers coach and assistant coach, Winston Moss. He was a former Raider linebacker as well as former assistant for the team prior to moving on to the Packers staff. But as time went on and various staff was hired around him, it seemed more and more likely Bresnahan was going to be the choice. I speculated back in early February when Greg Biekert was promoted to linebackers coach that the DC job was Bresnahan’s.
In the years since he last coached the Raiders defense, he was an assistant and defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and most recently the Florida Tuskers of the UFL.
It has been a long ordeal and it seemed as if the team strung Bresnahan along, hoping they could reel in someone they liked better. But for all we know, it was his job all along. Al Davis likes to keep us guessing.
Also See: Biekert promoted to linebackers coach, Bresnahan next DC?
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