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What does new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly bring to the Las Vegas Raiders?
The Las Vegas Raiders have continued overhauling their coaching staff by hiring former Ohio State offensive mastermind Chip Kelly as their new offensive coordinator.
Kelly, who helped the Buckeyes win a National Championship in January, has joined new head coach Pete Carroll as the team's latest coaching hire.
DAZN News analyses what Kelly brings to a Raiders offense which ranked among the worst in the NFL last season.
Experience
Nine years have passed since Kelly departed the NFL following a disappointing season 2-16 season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Before that, Kelly served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, helping them to a 26-21 record and a playoff appearance.
While Kelly's previous stint in the NFL didn't end successfully, the experience and leadership skills he gained will undoubtedly help a Raiders team that struggled to establish an identity amidst their recent struggles.
Offensive acumen
Kelly is an experienced play-caller and has demonstrated the ability to adapt from the up-tempo offenses he was renowned for during his Eagles tenure to a more patient, NFL-style approach.
Ohio State's defense took much credit for their successful championship-winning campaign. Still, Kelly's offense deserves recognition after averaging 36.3 points per game in the playoffs against four of the top 10 teams in the country.
With the Raiders, Kelly will have talent at his disposal, headlined by record-breaking tight end Brock Bowers.
Still, the lack of an established quarterback, a poor offensive line, and a weak group of wide receivers will make early success challenging to come by. Raiders fans may have to remain patient.
Familiarity with college talent
The value of bringing in a former college coach can sometimes be overlooked.
Having served in various roles at the college level, including head coach at UCLA (2018-2023) and offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Ohio State (2024), Kelly has extensive insight into the next generation of NFL players.
Will Howard, Kelly's former quarterback at Ohio State, has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. Pairing him with the coach he enjoyed great success with could provide the Raiders with a dynamic duo capable of bringing success back to Las Vegas.
Howard isn't projected to go in the first round of the draft, but that could work to the Raiders’ advantage.
If Kelly remains enamoured with his former student, Raiders general manager John Spytek may be tempted to trade down, acquire more picks to fill other roster holes and acquire Howard in later rounds.
A fresh start
The Raiders are in rebuild mode, and sorely needed some fresh faces to kickstart the process.
Pete Carroll is an experienced coach but as more of a defensive-minded coach, he needed to appoint an offensive guru.
Kelly wasn't the most obvious candidate for the role and question marks will be raised about appointing him over more established offensive coordinators.
Still, Carroll was clear about what he was looking for from the outset, and he thinks he's found the answer in Kelly:
"We want ball people. We want guys that love the game...also, it's important to find people that can help us grow and challenge us and -I know in my history- I need people to keep me on track. As you can tell, I get pretty juiced up and I'm going to get going. I need people to keep me balanced."
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