The Cowboys firing Jason Garrett also displaced longtime defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, but the former Lions head coach landed a new job in Oakland. The Raiders are hiring him as their defensive line coach, Jim Trotter of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Marinelli will replace Brentson Buckner, who joined Jon Gruden‘s staff last year. While Buckner helped the Raiders improve on their anemic 2018 sack total (13) and assisted in Oakland’s run defense climbing from 30th in 2018 to eighth this season, he will be in search of a new gig.
Gruden worked with Marinelli in Tampa, keeping Tony Dungy‘s former D-line coach on as Buccaneers assistant head coach from 2002-05. While Marinelli is best known for his three-year Lions tenure ending in the NFL’s first 0-16 season, the now-70-year-old coach oversaw top-16 scoring defenses in each of his six years as Cowboys defensive coordinator. Marinelli will now work with Gruden and returning defensive coordinator Paul Guenther in Las Vegas.
Marinelli did well to help DeMarcus Lawrence become a high-end pass rusher and will be tasked with elevating No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell. Buckner did well to coax fourth-round rookie Maxx Crosby into a key pressure artist, with the Eastern Michigan product leading the Raiders with 10 sacks. Ferrell finished with 4.5.