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This is the danger of a long coaching search: teams can lose some of their best assistant coaches.

That occurred in Oakland. NFL.com reported that Oakland defensive line coach Mike Waufle has taken the same job in St. Louis.

Waufle was considered one of the better defensive line coaches in the NFL and he was one of Oakland’s best coaches. Oakland’s players, especially defensive leader Richard Seymour, often praised Waufle.

However, as of last Tuesday, coaches on Oakland’s staff were free to find work elsewhere while the Raiders look for their new coach. Usually, new head coaches bring in a mostly a new staff, yet there are often a few holdovers from the previous staff.

I would have thought Waufle had a chance to stay on. I’m guessing another assistant who may be asked to stay is assistant offensive line coach Steve Wisniewski. He is considered an up-and-coming coach. Wisniewski is a former Raiders’ great player and he is the uncle of Oakland guard Stefen Wisniewski, who stood out as a rookie in 2011.

The AFC West didn’t play much of a role in this week's Power Rankings where we looked at the top 10 up-and-coming assistant coaches.

We were looking for assistants who could soon be head coaches in the NFL. Coaches who have been interim head coaches were eligible; former full-time coaches, however, were not eligible.

No current AFC West assistant made the list. Former San Diego Chargers assistant Rod Chudinski was ranked fourth. He left the Chargers earlier this year to become Ron Rivera’s offensive coordinator in Carolina. Rivera was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator until the Panthers hired him as head coach in January, so, I guess there was an AFC West feel on the list.

Oakland Raiders defensive line coach Mike Waufle received some votes and he finished in 13th place. I ranked Waufle in 10th place. I really like the way Oakland’s defensive line developed under his guidance last season. To a man, his defensive linemen swear by Waufle. He’s definitely a coach to keep an eye on.

I didn’t vote for any other AFC West assistant. The other current AFC West assistant to receive votes was new San Diego special teams coach Rich Biasaccia. He was in 15th place. Biasaccia is well respected and is expected to instantly help the Chargers’ weak spot. But I want to see him in action first before I give him a top-10 vote.

Thanks to ESPN Stats and Information’s Russell S. Baxter, here is a look at the complete coaching staffs of each AFC West team:

Denver: John Fox

Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator

Mike McCoy, offensive coordinator

Jeff Rodgers, special teams coordinator

Clancy Barone, tight ends

Keith Burns, assistant special teams

Brian Callahan, quality control/offense

Adam Gase, quarterbacks

Sam Garnes, assistant secondary

Justin Lovett, strength and conditioning assistant

Dave Magazu, offensive line

Ron Milus, secondary

Wayne Nunnely, defensive line

Jay Rodgers, quality control/defense

Greg Saporta, strength and conditioning assistant

Richard Smith, linebackers

Eric Studesville, running backs

Tyke Tolbert, wide receivers

Rich Tuten, strength and conditioning

Kansas City: Todd Haley

Romeo Crennel, defensive coordinator

Bill Muir, offensive coordinator/offensive line

Maurice Carthon, assistant head coach

Richie Anderson, wide receivers

Mike Clark, strength and conditioning

Gary Gibbs, linebackers

Steve Hoffman, special teams

Bernie Parmalee, tight ends

Pat Perles, assistant offensiveBe Line

Anthony Pleasant, defensive Line

Brent Salazar, assistant strength and conditioning

Nick Sirianni, offensive quality control

Otis Smith, defensive quality control

Emmitt Thomas, defensive backs

Adam Zimmer, defensive assistant/assistant linebackers

Jim Zorn, quarterbacks

Oakland: Hue Jackson

Al Saunders, offensive coordinator

Chuck Bresnahan, defensive coordinator

John Fassel, special teams coordinator

Greg Biekert, linebackers

Chuck Bresnahan, defensive coach

Willie Brown, squad development

Adam Henry, tight ends

Sanjay Lal, wide receivers

Brad Roll, strength and conditioning

Kevin Ross, assistant coach, safeties

Kelly Skipper, running backs

Mike Waufle, defensive line

Steve Wisniewski, assistant offensive line

Rod Woodson, assistant coach, cornerbacks

Bob Wylie, offensive line

San Diego: Norv Turner

Clarence Shelmon, offensive coordinator

Greg Manusky, defensive coordinator

Rich Bisaccia, special teams

Cris Dishman, assistant secondary

Steve Gera, coaches assistant

Hal Hunter, offensive line

Jeff Hurd, strength and conditioning

Don Johnson, defensive line

Charlie Joiner, wide receivers

Jason Michael, tight ends

John Pagano, linebackers

John Ramsdell, quarterbacks

Vernon Stephens, assistant strength and conditioning

Mike Sullivan, offensive line

Steve Wilks, assistant head coach-secondary

Greg Williams, assistant linebackers

Ollie Wilson, running backs

The Oakland Raiders made an interesting move on their defensive line.

Oakland signed former New York Giants defensive tackle Jay Alford. He was once promising player, who had a huge sack of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl in 2008. However, Alford was out all of last year with a torn ACL. The third-round pick in 2007 was trying to come back this year, but he couldn’t survive in a tight competition on the defensive line.

Alford reunites with former New York defensive line coach Mike Waufle in Oakland. He will likely be a rotation player.

Meanwhile, in the AFC West, Denver rookie Demaryius Thomas is hopeful he will be able to play Sunday at Jacksonville. He has been hampered by a foot injury for more than six months. There are no assurances the foot will hold up for an entire game Sunday because he has had several setbacks.

The NFL PA is reportedly seeking a hearing on whether holdout San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson will have to sit out an additional three games after his current NFL three-game suspension. He is facing the additional three-game wait because San Diego put him on the roster exempt list. Still, there is no end of the holdout in sight.

There is some, not a lot, but some Super Bowl love here for the Chargers.

Occasionally, us blog networkers come together and have a brainstorming session.

This week, we pitched ideas about the best bets from our receptive divisions on the restricted free agent market. The following are some restricted free agents who could fit in the AFC West:

Denver

Rob Sims, guard, Seattle, fourth-round tender: He weighs 312 pounds. Denver wants to get bigger on the interior line.

Marcus Spears, defensive end, Dallas, second-round tender: He’d be a solid addition at end in Denver’s 3-4 scheme.

Kansas City

Atari Bigby, safety, Green Bay, second-round tender: Bigby is solid and the Chiefs, who have two second-round picks, need help at safety.

Domenik Hixon, receiver/returner, New York Giants, second-round tender: He could help Kansas City on offense and special teams.

Leon Washington, running back, returner, New York Jets, second-round tender: If healthy, he could be a nice fit.

Oakland

Barry Cofield, defensive tackle, New York Giants, second-round tender: He’d reunite former Giants line coach Mike Waufle in Oakland. I like this fit.

Troy Smith, quarterback, Baltimore, fifth-round tender: He is likely going to be on the move. Why not reunite him with Hue Jackson in Oakland and throw him in the quarterback competition?

San Diego

Jerious Norwood, running back, Atlanta, second-round tender: He has big talent. San Diego needs a running back badly. The only hitch is the Chargers may rather use their second-round pick on a player from a deep rookie running back class.

Weekend mail call:

Jared from Junction City, Ore., wants to know if Troy Smith (a quarterback from Baltimore) and Barry Cofield (a defensive tackle from the Giants) are potential fits in Oakland.

Bill Williamson: I like how you are thinking here, Jared. Smith, who wants to be traded, played for new Oakland offensive coordinator Hue Jackson in Baltimore and Cofield, a likely restricted free agent, played for new Oakland defensive line coach Mike Waufle in New York. So there are natural connections. I could see Oakland trying to swing a trade for Smith and it would be worth putting him in the quarterback mix.

Thom from Las Vegas wants to know if Denver could be interested in Kevin Kolb and not Donovan McNabb.

BW: ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reported Denver talked to Philadelphia about McNabb. But teams are calling the Eagles about Kolb as well. I think it makes more sense for Denver to trade for Kolb because he is younger and has a lot of upside. But that could be pricey.

Ray from Lamont, Calif., wants to know if Joey Porter could end up in Oakland.

BW: Ray, if Porter is open to play in a 4-3 defense, I think it could be a great fit. Porter, who will be released by Miami in early March, said he wants to play in a 3-4 defense near his Bakersfield, Calif., home. He mentioned San Diego, San Francisco and Arizona as possibilities. Perhaps if there isn’t a market for him, Porter could widen his search to 4-3 teams. He would give Oakland some leadership and Al Davis never shies from adding aging stars.

I just received a call from ESPN’s John Clayton to inform me that Oakland has hired former Kansas City defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast to coach the defensive backs.

Pendergast was replaced by Romeo Crennel as the Chiefs defensive coordinator last month. Initially, Kansas City coach Todd Haley said he was interested in keeping Pendergast on the staff. But last week, the team and Pendergast parted ways.

Oakland has not announced the Pendergast hire. On the team’s Web site, Lionel Washington is listed as the defensive backs coach.

Pendergast is a quality coach and he will add good experience on the Raiders’ staff. He is innovator and he is known for his work with defensive backs. He is the third coach added to the Oakland staff, joining new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive line coach Mike Waufle.

The team has not said whether head coach Tom Cable will be back or not, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he will return.

This is a nice addition for Oakland as Pendergast moves West in the AFC West.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Raiders will keep Tom Cable as coach.

The Raiders say a decision has not been made.

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Raiders do announce that Cable will be brought back. It has seems to be heading that way for the past couple of days.

There has been a staff addition – the team hired defensive line coach Mike Waufle on Friday -- and had an interview with Baltimore quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson for offensive coordinator. I think a Cable-Jackson pairing could be good for Oakland.

Cable would be relieved of play-calling duties and allowed to concentrate on the bigger picture. That may help this inexperienced NFL head coach. Jackson has a strong history with quarterbacks, so maybe JaMarcus Russell would have a chance to develop.

There are positives in this development if that’s what Oakland announces.

Again, it looks like this saga may be over. I look forward to the Raiders’ announcement and will be ready to analyze it further when they make it official.

Did the Oakland Raiders just give us a clue regarding coach Tom Cable's job security?

Here is Oakland’s press release on the hiring of defensive line coach Mike Waufle. Pay attention to the final sentence of the release:

The Oakland Raiders are pleased to announce that Mike Waufle will rejoin the Raiders as the Defensive Line Coach. Mike has an outstanding record of success as a defensive line coach and has participated in Super Bowls with the Raiders and Giants. New York’s Super Bowl victory over New England featured dominating defensive line play. Mike is thrilled with the opportunity to rejoin the Raiders. He and Coach Cable spent six years together at the University of California where they enjoyed working together.

Why would the Raiders bring attention to the fact that their new position coach has a history with Cable if he wasn’t in the team’s plans? Cable also has a history with Baltimore quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson, who is talking to the team about becoming the offensive coordinator.

It could be that the Raiders, Cable included, are simply working to put their new staff together. Oakland owner Al Davis hasn’t made any announcement yet. But the Raiders are moving forward with coaches who have worked with Cable in the past.

In Oakland, nothing should be assumed until there is an announcement. But we may have been just given a hint.

As we continue to wait to see if Oakland owner Al Davis is going to keep or fire Tom Cable –- the season ended 16 days ago -- here are a couple of assistant coaching updates in the AFC West:

While the Raiders drag their feet on the status of the big job on staff, NFL.comis reporting that former Giants defensive line coach Mike Waufle is interviewing for the defensive line position in Oakland. You would think that if assistant coaches are being interviewed it would be a good sign the head coach is staying. But that’s not necessarily the case.

Meanwhile, the Denver Post is reporting that linebackers coach Don Martindale is a candidate to be promoted to defensive coordinator. Former New England defensive coordinator Dean Pees, however, is still considered the front-runner. Mike Nolan and the Broncos parted ways Monday. He was hired to be Miami's defensive coordinator Tuesday.