Raiders Defense Has Pieces for a Bounce Back Season

The Las Vegas Raiders’ defense was not one of the better units in the NFL last season.

The team was bottom-five in rushing yards and passing yards allowed per game, they allowed the highest quarterback rating and were last in the AFC in sacks. All across the board, the Raiders came up short on defense.

This year, the team’s fortune could change on that side of the ball. It is year two under Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, who has been a part of several great defenses throughout his career.

Key contributors will also look to have healthy seasons, including defensive end Chandler Jones, whose season was cut short by an injury in December, and linebacker Divine Deablo, who missed nine games last season because of a broken arm sustained in November.

With those players healthy, and an influx of youth at all three levels of the defense, the Raiders should feel recharged on that side of the ball. Under the leadership of defensive end Maxx Crosby, whose inestimable work ethic is on display every day, the Raiders’ defense will go as far as the two-time Pro-Bowler takes them.

The Raiders added three new faces in the 2023 NFL Draft on the defensive line. Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech, Byron Young from Alabama, and Nesta Jade Silvera all have a chance to carve out a role for themselves along the front of the defense. Bilal Nichols was also one of the team’s most consistent contributors last season.

Robert Spillane joins the Silver and Black in the linebacker grouping through free agency. A tough, instinctual defender, he will look to fill the hole left by Denzel Perryman. Deablo takes over the green dot for the defense, and Luke Masterson looks to have an increased role after coming on strong toward the end of last season.

In the secondary, the Raiders drafted Maryland’s Jakorian Bennett and Georgia’s Christopher Smith II on day three of the draft. Those players’ physical traits and leadership capabilities should allow them to see the field in some capacity this season. They also added Marcus Epps in free agency, a player coming off the best season of his career.

In a division with elite offenses, improving the defense was a high priority for General Manager Dave Ziegler. He added pieces at each level, and now it’s up to Graham and Coach Josh McDaniels to put those pieces together so that the Raiders' defense can have a bounce-back season.

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