Raiders Free Agency: What Should the Raiders do with Koonce?

The Las Vegas Raiders' 4-13 season was undoubtedly disappointing. However, one of the most significant disappointments, other than the losing record, was the loss of budding defensive end Malcolm Koonce.

The final time Antonio Pierce addressed the media as the Raiders head coach, he explained how devastating Koonce's injury was to the team.

"If there's one injury that really frustrated and hurt me this year, it was Malcolm [Koonce]," Pierce said. "Because he had a hell of a training camp, really, a hell of an offseason. Then we go into training camp, and I mean, he's looking really, really good. And I know it's against our offense, and we've got a couple of games in preseason, but the bend, the power, the confidence was back. I mean, he had that swag to him.

"And when he went down that Thursday, it hurt our team. You felt it. You felt the emotional drop within the building, and it was a sad moment. But to Malcolm's credit, seeing him in the building every day, working out and starting to get his little juices back to him. It'd be good to have him back because, I mean, he's just on the brink of being a really good football player. And it'd be good to see him come back as a Raider and do what he needs to do for us to win."

Pierce was not exaggerating or making excuses. Even the media felt the significance of the injury. The room fell silent when Pierce announced the injury to the press the Friday before the first game.

Coaches, teammates, press, and fans alike could see Koonce's growth over the last 12 months.

There was no denying how massive a loss it was for the Raiders, and to worsen matters, Koonce's injury foreshadowed what was to come. The Silver and Black would continue to suffer devastating injuries seemingly weekly.

The Raiders searched long and hard for a defensive end to play on the opposite end of Maxx Crosby, and if healthy, Koonce can still be that guy. If he is not the same player, that would benefit the Raiders more at the negotiating table and give Koonce more reason to stay in Las Vegas, assuming he does not get a solid contract elsewhere.

While Koonce could get more money elsewhere, the Raiders should still make a legitimate effort to keep him. Whether he leaves or not, the Raiders should still resign K'Lavon Chaisson.

Doing so would either fill the void left by Koonce, or Chaisson and Koonce could play in tandem, giving Koonce even more time to recover slowly.

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