Raiders fire defensive coordinator Ken Norton

The Oakland Raiders fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. on Tuesday and moved assistant head coach John Pagano into the role.

"After careful thought, I have made a difficult decision to part ways with Ken Norton Jr. as defensive coordinator," head coach Jack Del Rio said in a statement. "I have the utmost respect for Ken as a person and as a coach, but I feel that moving John Pagano into the play-calling role will best utilize his wealth of experience. I appreciate Ken's passion and commitment to the Raiders since coming aboard and wish him the best going forward."

Norton's firing comes on the heels of another porous defensive showing by the Raiders, who rank 26th in total defense and 21st in scoring defense. They've surrendered 30-plus points in four of their last six contests, and have yet to produce an interception through 10 games.

Oakland will take a 4-6 record into a Sunday affair with the Denver Broncos, who will be debuting a new offensive coordinator in Bill Musgrave. Coincidentally, Musgrave was in charge of the Raiders' offense for the previous two seasons.