Raiders optimistic Chip Kelly will revive offense and end rotating door at OC

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The fact so many Raiders offensive players have talked up Chip Kelly as their new coordinator is not surprising.

It's training camp, after all, and optimism abounds throughout NFL camps.

But when someone from the other side of the ball notices what's going on with the new schemes and game plans, that's more of an attention-grabber.

“We really don’t know ever what he’s about to throw at us, so it keeps us on our toes," defensive tackle Jonah Laulu said. "Then when we attack them, they come back the next day with something new. It’s a great formula for success.”

Las Vegas is under its fifth offensive coordinator in four years due to a rotating door at head coach. The last time the Raiders had any semblance of stability at OC was when Greg Olson ran the offense from 2018-21.

First-year Raiders coach Pete Carroll hired Olson to be the team's quarterbacks coach right after he made the splashy move to bring in Kelly.

The 61-year-old Kelly last year was the offensive coordinator of Ohio State's national championship team.

He came to national prominence as the innovative head coach at Oregon from 2009-12, leading the Ducks to a 46-7 record and title-game appearance in the 2010 season.

Kelly then had a mixed bag of results in NFL stops at Philadelphia and San Francisco and back in college at UCLA before going back to being a play-caller and guiding the Buckeyes' offense.

Now he's doing the same in Las Vegas.

“This is such a good group to coach,” Kelly said. “They want to be coached. They’re thirsty for knowledge. When you go into the meeting room, there’s a little buzz and there’s an excitement. It’s not like, ‘Oh, God, we’re in camp. What we do here?’ It’s special when you get an opportunity to be on (an) NFL roster, and I think these guys are really taking advantage of it.”

Offensive lineman Thayer Munford said Kelly is willing to make changes if something doesn't work, that he isn't stuck trying to force a system onto the players.

“We’re not pointing fingers at each other," Munford said. "We’re here to bring each other up and push each other forward. Not every team’s like this, either. I’ve been on a couple teams that you point at them, and they get down in the dumps and the next day they go to crap. This coach is different.”

Kelly has the demanding task of improving an offense that was fourth worst last season with 303.2 yards per game and last in rushing with a 79.8-yard average. The Raiders traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith and drafted running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall to put some much-needed life into the offense.

“I think Chip has done a great job with implementing his style of play,” Smith said. “We want to be tough, we want to be physical, we want to attack the line of scrimmage. ... We got a lot of great weapons on offense, so he’s putting the guys in positions to make plays.”

Will Kelly get it done?

There is valid reason to believe Las Vegas' offense will be better, but whether it can take a big enough step to actually compete for a playoff spot in an AFC West in which the Raiders' three rivals made the postseason last year is another matter.

But no games have been played, so optimism prevails for the Raiders.

“I played (Ohio State) my last college game in the first round of playoffs, and they beat us bad,” said rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Tennessee. "So being able to play in this offense, I see why they did that.”

Smith threw touchdown passes on all four drives he quarterbacked in Saturday's mock game at Allegiant Stadium that the Raiders said drew about 18,000 fans. He completed TD passes of 8 and 11 yards to tight end Brock Bowers, 19 yards to Thornton and 50 to Phillip Dorsett in leading the Raiders’ starting offense against their backup defense. Smith also ran for a two-point conversion.

Maxx Crosby returned a strip sack of Aidan O'Connell 70 yards for a touchdown.

Tom Brady, who owns a minority stake in the Raiders, watched from the sideline. He also attended Friday’s practice at the team’s Henderson, Nevada, facility.

Safety Lonnie Johnson was carted off with an injury to his lower right leg.

“I don't know all the details, but it's significant,” Carroll said.

Johnson has worked mostly with the second team this training camp, but was in with the starters in the mock game as part of a three-safety look.

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Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. (32) is carted off the field at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly speaks to media during the team's NFL football training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs with the ball at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws at the team's NFL football training camp Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Six years into his Stuttgart career, Nikolas Nartey finally scored his first goal for the club to seal a thrilling 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Tuesday.

The Danish midfielder found space between two defenders to direct Josha Vagnoman's low cross into the net and turned away, shouting in celebration.

Nartey had been with Stuttgart since 2019 but barely played for much of that time. He spent two years on loan before a series of injuries wreaked havoc on his career. He didn't play at all in 2023-24 and had little game time the following year but has become a regular starter this season.

Until Nartey's breakthrough, it had seemed like a first-time scorer of a different sort had salvaged a draw for Frankfurt.

Three minutes into his Bundesliga debut off the bench, new signing Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab made it 2-2 to finish off a rapid team move that began with goalkeeper Kaua Santos and went the length of the field. The 21-year-old forward had never before played above the third tier of German soccer.

Frankfurt took the early lead when Rasmus Kristensen scored in the fifth minute, but goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Deniz Undav put Stuttgart ahead 2-1 by halftime. Both teams had plenty of chances as Santos and Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel made crucial saves.

Stuttgart moves up to third with the win. Frankfurt is seventh, with one win from its last eight games in all competitions.

A day after Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac signaled that challenging Bayern for the title is out of his team's reach, Dortmund cut Bayern's lead to eight points with a straightforward 3-0 win over Werder Bremen.

Defender Nico Schlotterbeck headed second-place Dortmund in front in the 11th before Marcel Sabitzer and Serhou Guirassy scored to make sure of the win.

“That we can't attack Bayern, I think everyone can see that,” Kovac said Monday, adding his aim is a top-four finish.

Unbeaten Bayern, which beat Wolfsburg 8-1 last week, can restore an 11-point lead by beating Cologne on Wednesday.

Mainz beat fellow relegation candidate Heidenheim 2-1 for its first Bundesliga win since September. New Mainz coach Urs Fischer is unbeaten in six Bundesliga and Conference League games since he was hired last month. Mainz moves up from last place in the 18-team league to 16th, dropping Heidenheim to last.

Bayer Leverkusen's game at Hamburger SV was postponed at short notice over concerns around the stadium's roof. It's the third game in the Bundesliga to be called off in recent days following heavy snow in northern Germany.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mainz's Nadiem Amiri celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 andFC Heidenheim in Mainz, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Torsten Silz/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the third goal against Werder Bremen during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen in Dortmund, Germany, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Stuttgart players celebrate with their fans after the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab celebrates scoring with Arthur Theate, left, and Robin Koch, right, during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Nikolas Nartey, front, and Frankfurt Aurèle Amenda in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)