3 Takeaways From Raiders Firing Chip Kelly, Including Who Could Be Next

Hours after the Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Cleveland Browns, the team fired Chip Kelly, who served 11 games as their offensive coordinator. The next day, they relieved offensive assistant Bob Bicknell, who has ties to Kelly.

Las Vegas only addressed part of the problem with those firings.  Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson will run the offense under head coach Pete Carroll‘s guidance, but the offensive line remains in disarray due to injuries and poor play.

Secondly, the Raiders are missing their top two offensive linemen, Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, who provided solid pass protection for quarterback Geno Smith and opened up the run game.

Lastly, Carroll won’t address a glaring issue: his son, Brennan, has done a poor job of preparing young linemen to play. Rookie third-rounders Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers have played one offensive snap combined.

If the Raiders’ offense doesn’t trend in the right direction over the next six weeks, the team needs to make crucial decisions about this coaching staff.  Let’s break down the aftermath of Kelly’s dismissal and what it means for the offense in the final six weeks of the season.

Interim Play-Caller Greg Olson Must Reshuffle Offensive Line

The Raiders’ offensive issues start at the line of scrimmage. They’re starting two backups in place of left tackle Kolton Miller and right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. Jordan Meredith suffered an injury late in the previous outing with the Cleveland Browns.

Regardless of Meredith’s status for Week 13, the coaching staff needs to see what rookie third-rounder Caleb Rogers can offer at right guard. Even with his inexperience, he may be an upgrade over Alex Cappa and Meredith.

According to Pro Football Focus, Will Putnam allowed eight pressures, which included two sacks at center in the last two weeks. He fared better against the Browns than he did against the Dallas Cowboys, but the second-year pro is still a liability at the pivot.

Unless the Raiders move Meredith back to center (if healthy), they must choose between Putnam and Cappa for that position. Last week, Cappa had a decent showing in his first game at center, allowing just two pressures on 32 snaps, per PFF.

Head coach Pete Carroll seems committed to Stone Forsythe at left tackle. Olson should push to start Cappa at center and Rogers at guard, though.

O Line Coach Brennan Carroll Could Be Next

Chip Kelly deserves blame for Las Vegas’ sparkless 31st-ranked scoring attack, but head coach Pete Carroll is unlikely to address the lack of development of his young offensive linemen, which is the responsibility of position coach Brennan Carroll.

Carroll’s son is the offensive line coach and the run game coordinator. The Raiders are averaging the fewest yards per carry (3.5) and arguably field the league’s worst offensive line.

If Brennan’s last name wasn’t Carroll, the team would’ve likely fired him weeks ago. However, his relation to the head coach probably means he’s safe unless the Raiders fire the entire staff. For this reason alone, the older Carroll should be relieved of his duties. He’s enabling incompetence.

Pete Carroll Is Coaching for His Job

Speaking of Carroll’s job security, he may go down as another one-and-done head coach in franchise history. This squad, with All-Pro Brock Bowers, rookie first-rounder Ashton Jeanty, and two-time Pro Bowler Geno Smith, is barely outscoring the Bed and Breakfast Offense of 2006:

Typically, when a head coach fires a coordinator, it’s a sacrifice to keep his job. Remember, last year, former head coach Antonio Pierce told CBS Sports’ Jay Feely that he made changes to his staff to preserve his job.

Though Las Vegas fired Pierce anyway, it’s telling that a head coach must immediately admit a mistake in his assembled staff. Las Vegas fired two coordinators before Thanksgiving. Carroll’s seat should feel warm as the temperature rises.

The Raiders may draft a quarterback early in next year’s draft. With that possible scenario, they must ask themselves a critical question: Did Carroll earn the benefit of the doubt in developing or hiring someone to develop a young quarterback? If the answer is no, Carroll should be out of a job by January.

Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.

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