Ronell Williams joins the Las Vegas Raiders as the linebackers coach in 2026, bringing with him 10 years of coaching experience, including seven years in the NFL coaching ranks. Williams most recently coached for the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons (2023-25), starting as the nickels coach in 2023 before moving to assistant linebackers coach in 2024 and adding defensive quality control duties in 2025.
Last season (2025), Williams assisted with an Eagles defense that gave up a league-low 14 passing TDs, which were the fewest surrendered by an Eagles defense since 2001. The Eagles defense also limited opponents to the lowest completion percentage (56.8%) in the league, marking their best figure since 2008 (54.1%). LB Zack Baun was also the only NFL player to post 120+ tackles (123), 3.5+ sacks (3.5) and 3+ takeaways (2 INTs, 1 FR) in 2025. According to PFF, Baun finished as the 2nd-highest graded LB (83.9) in the league, trailing only Jack Campbell (90.2) (min. 1,000 defensive snaps).
In 2024, Williams supported a linebacker corps that played a key role in the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX-winning campaign that included the top-ranked total defense (278.4 ypg) during the regular season. Philadelphia was one of only two teams in the NFL with a linebacker duo with 125+ tackles each between Zack Baun (150) and Nakobe Dean (128).
Williams coached the nickels in 2023, helping the unit to navigate injuries throughout the 2023 season by developing a group of young DBs and mixing in veteran experience at the slot.
Before his time in Philadelphia, Williams spent four seasons (2019-22) as a defensive quality control coach with the Chicago Bears. Over his four seasons in Chicago, the Bears defense allowed 340.6 total yards per game, the 15th fewest among defenses over that span, along with the seventh best passing defense over that span (215.6).
In 2021, he supported a Bears defense that led the NFL in sacks per pass attempt (10.3%) and totaled the 4th-most sacks (48) overall, including a franchise-record 18.5 sacks by Robert Quinn. Chicago also finished third in passing defense (191.6 ypg) and sixth in total defense (316.7 ypg) in 2021.
During the 2020 campaign, Williams helped the Bears rank fifth in red zone defense (54.7%) as well as eighth in third-down defense (38.1%).
In his first year with Chicago in 2019, Williams aided a unit that registered top-10 rankings in total defense (324.1 ypg, 8th), passing defense (222.1 ypg, 9th) and rushing defense (102.0 ypg, 9th).
Before joining the NFL coaching ranks, Williams spent the 2017-18 seasons as a graduate assistant/defensive analyst at Temple. Before Temple, Williams served as the linebackers coach at Widener during the 2016 campaign.
PERSONAL: A Chester, Pa. native, Williams played linebacker at West Chester University and led the team in tackles form 2011-13…Ronell and his wife, Samantha, have a son, RJ and a daughter, Ryan.
