The Raiders' Defense Will be Defined by Its Depth

In the second half of the 2023 season, the Las Vegas Raiders were one of the best defensive units in the NFL.

Overall, the Raiders finished 15th in the league in total defense. After Coach Antonio Pierce took over in an interim capacity and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham turned his players loose, teams did not score on this unit.

The Raiders will lean on their defense again in 2024 as they look to carry the momentum they built last season into the new year. With contributors ready to play good football at all three levels, this defense should once again be one of the top units in the league.

While there are talented players at the top of the roster on defense, the most important factor for Las Vegas will be its depth. If the top players aren’t contributing to the level they’re expected to, or players inevitably and naturally get hurt, there are enough players who can step in.

The Raiders' deepest position group is comfortably their defensive line. Adding a star like Christian Wilkins to the interior means players who were starters or played starter-level snaps are now quality depth. The Raiders have one of the deepest defensive line rooms in the NFL.

Las Vegas has Maxx Crosby coming off one edge and Malcolm Koonce off the other. Behind those two are Tyree Wilson and Janarius Robinson, both of whom showed flashes of brilliance in 2023. If Koonce continues his emergence as a star on this defense, the Raiders’ edge group will be one of the best in the NFL as well.

The Raiders’ linebacker group is also fairly deep. Their starters, Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo, make up a solid duo, while they have ready-made contributors behind them in Luke Masterson, Amari Burney, and Kana’i Mauga.

While the Raiders may lack depth at cornerback, they have a solid group of safeties. Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps make up one of the most cerebral safety duos in the league. At the same time, Isaiah Pola-Mao looks ready for more snaps this season, and Christopher Smith II is quality depth as a former fifth-round selection. They also added Air Force star Trey Taylor in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Raiders are talented defensively, and it goes beyond their stars. If they can stay healthy in 2024, they could push for a Wild Card spot because of that side of the ball.

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