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Josh McDaniels’ coaching staff taking shape with Raiders

The Raiders haven’t announced coach Josh McDaniels’ coaching staff, but here’s a look at what he’s done since being hired two weeks ago. He still has other positions to fill.

Mick Lombardi

Offensive coordinator

New England Patriots receivers coach Mick Lombardi faces reporters following an NFL football pr ...
New England Patriots receivers coach Mick Lombardi faces reporters following an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The 33-year-old Lombardi, son of longtime NFL executive Mike Lombardi, was the Patriots’ wide receivers coach last season and played a major role in their red-zone planning. New England was seventh in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage — an area in which the Raiders have faltered badly the past two seasons.

McDaniels is expected to oversee the offense and be the primary playcaller, but Lombardi will be heavily involved.

Carmen Bricillo

Offensive line coach

New England Patriots offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo faces reporters following an NFL foot ...
New England Patriots offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo faces reporters following an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Bricillo, 45, has coached just two seasons in the NFL — both with the Patriots — and was most recently New England’s co-offensive line coach. The jump to solely overseeing the Raiders’ offensive line is a bit of a leap, but he has college experience at Duquesne and Youngstown State in coaching offensive lines.

Edgar Bennett

Wide receiver coach

This is a 2019 photo of Edgar Bennett of the Oakland Raiders NFL football team. This image refl ...
This is a 2019 photo of Edgar Bennett of the Oakland Raiders NFL football team. This image reflects the Oakland Raiders active roster as of Thursday, June 13, 2019 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

Bennett, 53, is the lone holdover from last season’s staff. The job he did in helping the Raiders overcome the loss of Henry Ruggs and the development of Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones and Bryan Edwards played a major part in being retained. Bennett interviewed in January for the Bills’ offensive coordinator position, so he is clearly on the radar for an eventual promotion.

Bo Hardegree

Quarterbacks coach

This is a 2021 photo of Bo Hardegree of the New England Patriots NFL football team. This image ...
This is a 2021 photo of Bo Hardegree of the New England Patriots NFL football team. This image reflects the New England Patriots active roster as of Wednesday, June 16, 2021 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

Hardegree, 37, has been coaching since 2008. He was an offensive assistant in New England last season, but he coached the quarterbacks in Miami from 2016-18, so he has experience in that role. His ability to be the liaison between McDaniels and quarterback Derek Carr will be an important component.

Patrick Graham

Defensive coordinator

New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stands on the field before the team's NFL ...
New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stands on the field before the team's NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 12, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)

Prying Graham, 43, away from the Giants, where he was defensive coordinator the past two seasons, was a coup for the Raiders. He was a finalist for the Vikings’ head coach position.

Graham is a proponent of building schemes and alignments that fit the opponent and situation, so expect plenty of versatility and adaptability with the Raiders. The Giants were fifth in the NFL in red-zone defense last season; the Raiders were last.

Antonio Pierce

Linebackers coach

Arizona State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/ Antonio Pierce before their game agai ...
Arizona State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/ Antonio Pierce before their game against Washington State in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct 30, 2021, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

A former Pro Bowl and Super Bowl champion linebacker, Pierce, 43, is the latest addition to the staff. He spent four seasons as the head coach at Southern California high school powerhouse Long Beach Poly before joining Arizona State as a defensive assistant and recruiting coordinator in 2018. He was promoted to defensive coordinator and associate head coach in 2021.

Chris Ash

Defensive backs coach

This is a 2021 photo of Chris Ash of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team. This image ref ...
This is a 2021 photo of Chris Ash of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team. This image reflects the Jacksonville Jaguars active roster as of Wednesday, March 3, 2021 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

The Raiders went heavy in experience in adding Ash, a longtime defensive assistant and former head coach at Rutgers. The 48-year-old spent last season with the Jaguars, but in the previous 10 years, he spent nine seasons as a college defensive coordinator or head coach.

Jason Simmons

Secondary coach

Carolina Panthers Defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach Jason Simmons walks on to the ...
Carolina Panthers Defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach Jason Simmons walks on to the field before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray)

Simmons, 45, played 10 years in the NFL with the Steelers and Texans and has been coaching in the NFL since 2011, most recently as the defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach of the Panthers. His experience playing safety probably means he will focus on that position, with Ash overseeing the cornerbacks.

Rob Ryan

Senior defensive assistant

Baltimore Ravens inside linebackers coach Rob Ryan walks out to the field before an NFL footbal ...
Baltimore Ravens inside linebackers coach Rob Ryan walks out to the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

This is a page out of the Bill Belichick and Nick Saban method of finding roles for experienced coaches to tap into their expertise. Ryan, 59, has been the defensive coordinator for five NFL teams.

Tom McMahon

Special teams coordinator

Denver Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon walks to the field before an NFL football ...
Denver Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon walks to the field before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

McMahon, 52, has a wealth of experience, spending the past 16 years coaching special teams for the Rams, Chiefs, Colts and Broncos. Replacing Rich Bisaccia will be no easy task.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.

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