The Raiders’ Defense Is in Danger
The Raiders from Las Vegas have expanded their roster on both sides of the ball. The Raiders defense has the potential to rank among the best after their most recent actions.
The offense of the Las Vegas Raiders was seen to be the team’s strongest suit the previous season. They were, after all, among the highest-paid offenses in the National Football League going into the season. They had the league’s top rusher from the previous season and perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL on their offensive squad.
As far as their offensive would carry them, it was thought the Raiders would go. That wasn’t the case, though, as Las Vegas’ offense had trouble almost the whole season. The Raiders’ defense, on the other hand, was made up entirely of unknown players, save for Maxx Crosby.
On game days, the Raiders defense routinely outperformed their offense, despite having one of the highest-paid offenses and one of the lowest-paid defenders in the league.
Although Las Vegas was expected to have a high-power offense, they started the season with the intention of making the most of it, but their offense proved to have several serious weaknesses.
With their recent arrivals and anticipated future ones, the defense of the Las Vegas Raiders is poised to rank among the best in the league.
The Raiders’ defense, which was already improving, got even better when defensive-minded coach Antonio Pierce took over for offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels. Prior to Pierce taking over, the Raiders’ defense was among the worst in the league the season prior, but before then, it was ranked in the middle of the league in most statistical categories.
Pierce gave defensive coordinator Patrick Graham the freedom to realize the full potential of the defense after he was named interim head coach. Frequently, this meant making decisions that would have been controversial or went against what the McDaniels administration had done, like giving Malcolm Koonce more playing time or shifting Tyree Wilson to the interior of the defensive line.
Despite several players exceeding expectations, the Raiders defense ended the season ranked in the top half of the league in numerous categories. This offseason, Telesco and Pierce made the sensible choice to recruit excellent players in key positions while retaining the majority of the defense.
With Christian Wilkins signed and two more linebackers and cornerbacks added, the Raiders defense may be on the verge of being one of the best in the league.
