Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff adds legendary NFL star to coach running backs

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce had seemingly put the finishing touches on his 2024 Raiders coaching staff and then DeShaun Foster left to become the UCLA Bruins head coach. Just a few days later, Pierce is dipping back into the pool of retired NFL players to complete his staff.

The Raiders were poised to move forward with Foster as their running backs coach in 2024, swiping him away from the same position with the Bruins. However, once UCLA head coach Chip Kelly left the team to become the Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator, the Bruins moved quickly to name Foster as their new coach.

It left a huge void on the Raiders coaching staff, especially at a position with so much uncertainty. Las Vegas is uncertain about retaining Josh Jacobs in 2024 and if the impending free agent leaves, Zamir White would likely be thrust into the full-time role next season.

Following Foster’s departure for UCLA, Pierce is reportedly going back to his roots as a player with a running back he played against to coach up White and other Raiders’ running backs in 2024.

According to Mike Gittens of The War Report, Auburn Tigers associate head coach and running backs coach Carnell Cadillac Williams is leaving to fill that same positional role on the Raiders coaching staff.

• Cadillac Williams stats (NFL): 4,038 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns

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Williams, who turns 42 in April, was an All-American running back with the Tigers. After eclipsing 4,000 scrimmage yards with 46 total touchdowns in four seasons at Auburn, Williams was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In his first NFL season, Williams immediately became a star. As a rookie, he averaged 4.1 yards per carry and accumulated 1,259 scrimmage yards on 310 touches which earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately, his career was later derailed in 2007 by a torn patellar tendon, the first of many injuries that never allowed him to regain the form he showed at Auburn and in his rookie season.

Following his retirement, Williams joined Henderson State as a running backs coach (2015) then bounced around with coaching stints at West Georgia, IMG Academy and alter with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football. In 2019, he returned to Auburn as a running backs coach and was named interim coach in 2022.

While players pushed heavily for Williams to remain the full-time coach in 2023, Auburn ultimately hired Hugh Freeze. However, Freeze kept Williams on his staff and elevated him to associate head coach. Well-regarded for his work with young running backs, Williams should prove to be a strong addition to the Raiders coaching staff and could prove crucial in White’s development.

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