Report Names 2nd Candidate Believed to be in the Mix for Raiders’ DC Job

The Raiders are expected to hire Klint Kubiak as their next head coach, and a report from the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore on Monday named Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Aden Durde as a candidate to “keep an eye on” to be the next defensive coordinator in Las Vegas.

Durde has a relationship with Kubiak from their year together in Seattle, but according to Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer, there’s another candidate potentially in the mix for the Raiders’ defensive coordinator job.

“As for [Jim] Schwartz, if he’s not back in Cleveland, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Klint Kubiak make a run at landing him, once he coaches his last game as Seahawks OC on Sunday,” Breer reported on Tuesday.

Schwartz is currently still under contract with the Cleveland Browns, and his situation could be a little complicated if the Raiders have their eye on him. Every indication is that Cleveland would like to retain Schwartz, but the veteran defensive coach has reportedly told people he is not going to stay in Cleveland if he doesn’t get the head coaching job – which he obviously did not.

At his introductory press conference, newly hired Browns head coach Todd Monken sounded like he was willing to let Schwartz go elsewhere is if his presence was going to be a problem…

“I said this to the other guys. I didn’t think I’d say it, but I’m gonna say it. When I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns [as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator], I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz. I was chipping Myles Garrett. When I was sliding a protection to the outside backers or Grant Delpit that were blitzing off the edge, I was sliding the protection to the players. When I was worried about throwing to the right against Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell to the left, that’s who I was worried about throwing at.

My anticipation is we’re not gonna change the system. [It’s] very difficult to go against. We’re not planning on changing the system. We’re built for the system that they’re in currently. And I’m not gonna get into staffing… but they can be rest assured that we’re gonna keep the same system. We’re still gonna let them attack, we’re still gonna let them play free.

I can’t see it any other way. They’re a big reason why I took this job, the defensive players. I didn’t take this job because of Jim Schwartz. I have a lot of respect for Jim Schwartz, as I would hope he has for me, but I took it because of the players that are here, the ownership, Andrew Berry and the ability to build this roster from the ground up on the offensive side.”

From the standpoint of his career resume, Schwartz would be a solid hire for the Raiders, though he would bring a much different personality to the locker room than Kubiak and his predecessor at defensive coordinator (which, in theory, could be a good thing).

x: @raidersbeat