The Raiders' Are Already Quietly Cooking on Defense

For various reasons, many of which were outside of their control, the Las Vegas Raiders' defense has struggled over the past few seasons. The Raiders' defense has long been unable to find a consistent group of players who stay healthy and, on the team, long enough to build anything substantial.

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A New Era for the Raiders

The National Football League is driven by offense, and the Raiders have not had a competent one in years, making their offseason push to revamp the unit a worthy lead topic regarding their immediate and long-term futures. However, defense still and always will win championships in the NFL.

Las Vegas has equally as notable moves on defense, bringing in Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. If both can stay healthy, the sky is the limit and the respective deals the Raiders gave them could one day turn into bargains. The Raiders' front office added Kwitty Paye and have Maxx Crosby back.

At the corner, and a safety, the Raiders need plenty of additional depth. The draft should give them the chance to add to both position groups. Las Vegas has a steady rotation of defensive linemen, which they have been stockpiling through the draft over the past few seasons.

The Raiders do not have many household names among those defensive linemen, but that is rarely the case. Las Vegas has multiple defensive linemen they can use in various situations in the 3-4 defense moving forward, regardless of if those players are well known are not.

Under defensive coordinator, Rob Leonard, the Raiders have a coordinator who spent the last three seasons working with those interior linemen. No coach knows the Raiders defensive line better than Leonard, their former defensive line coach.

Now those linemen have a significantly improved group of linebackers behind them, with more talent being added at linebacker, cornerback, and safety, sure to come over this offseason and next offseason, and Leonard calling the shots. With all of the changes coming to town, Leonard remains.

Raiders head coach Rob Leonard recently praised his defensive coordinator.

"It's been great. Rob [Leonard] has such a solid plan, at least in his interview in what he wanted to do. So, I just have so much confidence in him. It's fun to watch him lead the defensive coaches right now and put his playbook together, put his installs together. He's there early, he's staying late, and he's putting in the time to get all of his coaches on the same page,” Kubiak said at the league's Annual Meetings.

Along with all of the new defensive additions the Raiders have made, the improvements on the offensive side of the ball should keep the Raiders' defense off the field much more than the unit has been over the past three seasons.