Raiders report: Patrick Graham defends team’s effort, work ethic

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham delivered an impassioned defense Thursday of his team’s buy-in late in another losing season.

Graham was asked how he gauges the compete and energy levels despite a 2-12 record.

“Unfortunately for me, as a coordinator, haven’t had a winning season,” he said. “But as long as I’m the coordinator, and I’m sure as long as Pete (Carroll) is the head coach, as long as we’ve got Maxx Crosby and Elandon Roberts, and we’ve got Adam Butler, I don’t know why you all even ask us that question. It’s not going down like that, period. I don’t care what the score is, I don’t care what the record is.”

The defense has performed better than the offense this season, particularly against the run. It still hasn’t been great.

But while the media and fans have turned the focus to the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft and what figures to be a vital offseason, Graham stressed how locked in his team is for the final three games, starting Sunday in Houston.

“Seventeen opportunities a year to be a football player,” he said. “All the other stuff is about being a professional footballer — workouts, all that stuff like that. This is what we did when we were kids. This is what we want to do. And I’ll be damned if the guys that I know in that room would do it any other way.”

Graham also was asked if the struggles this season felt similar to any of his three previous seasons with the Raiders, all of them losing seasons with the defense ahead of the offense in most of them.

Graham said he prefers to stay focused on the present day.

“To compare regimes, I can’t, I’m not there,” he said. “It’s about today for me, and it’s about today for our guys, too.”

Injury report

Quarterback Geno Smith practiced in full Thursday for the second straight day and is on track to return to the starting lineup against the Texans after missing Sunday’s game at Philadelphia because of back and right shoulder injuries.

Safety Jeremy Chinn (back) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (knee) were limited participants after sitting out Wednesday and are also trending in a positive direction.

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett was upgraded to full participation despite his knee issue.

The biggest storyline to watch Friday is probably left tackle Kolton Miller, who got in two limited sessions this week as he works his way back from a hairline fracture in his ankle.

Vote of confidence

Rookie Charles Grant got five offensive snaps against the Eagles, bringing his total to six this season.

Grant was mostly used as an extra lineman in certain formations, but quarterbacks coach and interim play-caller Greg Olson was encouraged by his performance.

“He’s not intimidated,” Olson said. “He did some good things. We brought him in some jumbo packages where he had to block the defender right over the top of him, and he did a nice job in the role that we asked him to fill. The game wasn’t too big for him. He was able to go out and execute and follow the plan.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.