Bold shift for the Raiders: Travis Smith named the defensive line coach.
HENDERSON, Nev. – The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Monday that Travis Smith will serve as the club’s defensive line coach.
Smith joins the Silver and Black after a one-year stint as the Titans’ defensive run game coordinator in 2025. That season, he helped defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons earn his fourth career Pro Bowl nod by leading all NFL interior linemen in several categories: solo tackles (39), tackles for loss (17), sacks (11), sack yards (79.0), quarterback pressures (60), pressure rate (14.5%), and forced fumbles (3).
His NFL career includes a tenure with the Titans from 2022–24 as their defensive line coach. In 2024, Chicago’s defense—where he previously coached in 2023–24—finished 16th in sacks (40) with 16 players recording at least one sack. The 2023 season saw the Bears rank high against the run, allowing the fewest rushing yards in the league (1,468), fifth in yards per carry (3.78), and second in rushing touchdowns allowed (8). Defensive end Montez Sweat earned his first Pro Bowl in 2023, totaling 12.5 sacks split between Washington (6.5) and Chicago (6.0).
Smith’s coaching journey with the Raiders spans back to 2012–21, during which he held multiple roles, including assistant defensive line (2020–21), defensive quality control (2018–19, 2015–16), outside linebackers (2017), and defensive assistant (2012–14).
Notably, in 2021 he mentored defensive end Maxx Crosby, who earned his first Pro Bowl after a breakout season featuring a then-career-high 56 tackles, eight sacks, 30 quarterback hits, and seven passes defensed. Yannick Ngakoue led the team with 10 sacks. In 2019, Smith contributed to Crosby and Clelin Ferrell’s development as rookies, with Crosby posting 10 sacks and Ferrell recording 4.5 sacks. The Raiders’ rookie defensive ends combined for 14.5 sacks that year, the most among all NFL rookie classes.
Looking further back, 2017 saw Khalil Mack’s defense flourish under Smith’s guidance, with Mack posting 10.5 sacks and a career-high 78 tackles and earning his third straight Pro Bowl invite. Throughout 2016, Smith worked closely with the defensive line as Mack earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl and his first Defensive Player of the Year honor, highlighted by an eight-game sack streak that tied an NFL record.
In 2015, Smith helped a Raiders defense that featured Pro Bowlers Charles Woodson and Mack, with Mack totaling 15 sacks to finish second in the league and solidify his first Pro Bowl selection.
Smith’s 2014 work with Raiders linebackers helped develop a rookie Mack, who finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. In 2013, he contributed to a unit with several new starters, including Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett, and rookie Sio Moore. Roach posted a career-high in tackles (152) and sacks (5.5), while Moore earned PFWA All-Rookie honors after 4.5 sacks in his first season.
Before returning to the NFL, Smith spent two years coaching at the collegiate level. In 2011 he was an offensive technical intern at the University of Colorado. Earlier, he coached at Santa Monica College (2010), assisting tight ends and defensive linemen, and served as an undergraduate assistant at Cal Poly.
A Walnut Creek, California native, Smith went to Foothill High School in Pleasanton, where he lettered twice as a linebacker and fullback. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Cal Poly State University, where he played for the Mustangs from 2004 to 2009. Smith is married to Christina, and they have a son, Jackson, and a daughter, Harper.
And this is the part many readers might miss: the Raiders’ new defensive line coach arrives with a track record of developing Pro Bowl-caliber players and contributing to both pass-rush and run-stopping improvements across multiple teams. His breadth of experience—spanning college to the NFL and a variety of front-seven roles—could shape a more versatile, depth-driven line in Las Vegas. What do you think his impact will be this season: a breakout year for Crosby and friends, or a measured, steady improvement that compounds year over year? Share your thoughts in the comments.
