The Oakland Raiders didn't look far to find their next defensive coordinator, hiring Stanford defensive assistant Jason Tarver for the position.
The Raiders announced Monday that Tarver will join the staff of new head coach Dennis Allen, who has the authority to hire his own staff under new general manager Reggie McKenzie. The Raiders also hired the Texans' Greg Knapp as offensive coordinator last week.
Tarver, 37, helped shape one of the Pac-12's top defenses last season, serving as co-defensive coordinator and overseeing the linebackers under rookie coach David Shaw. He had been at Stanford since February 2010 after spending 10 seasons in various coaching jobs with the San Francisco 49ers. Before joining the 49ers, he spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at UCLA.
He replaces Chuck Bresnahan, who wasn't retained by the Raiders after the season.
Tarver returns to the NFL with a monumental task. The Raiders struggled mightily on defense last season, finishing 27th against the run and pass and 29th overall while giving up the third-most points (433) in team history.
The Raiders also joined this year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as one of four teams to allow at least 30 touchdown passes and 5.0 yards per carry in a season, a distinction last reached by the 1952 Dallas Texans.
The Raiders now have all three coordinators in place, with Greg Knapp replaceing Al Saunders on offense and Steve Hoffman taking over for John Fassel on special teams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
