The Raiders expected their line to anchor a defense projected to be a top-10 unit in the NFL.
Injuries to Malcolm Koonce, Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby sabotaged those plans. The result was a minimal pass rush and a struggle to slow down the run consistently.
As the Raiders head into free agency and the draft, supplementing that part of their defense is among their top priorities. That includes a contract extension for Crosby and figuring out how to proceed with Koonce, an unrestricted free agent who lost all of last season to a knee injury.
Here’s how things stand on the defensive line:
Under contract
Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, Tyree Wilson, Tomari Fox, Tyler Manoa, Jonah Laulu, Andre Carter
Pending free agents
Adam Butler (unrestricted), John Jenkins (unrestricted), Malcolm Koonce (unrestricted), K’Lavon Chaisson (unrestricted), Janarius Robinson (unrestricted), Zach Carter (restricted), Charles Snowden (exclusive rights), David Ebuka Agoha (exclusive rights), Matthew Butler (exclusive rights)
2024 recap
The Raiders’ defensive line was a classic case of “what might have been” last season.
What if Koonce did not go down with a season-ending knee injury just days before the season opener?
What if Wilkins, the club’s big-ticket free-agent signing, hadn’t suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 5?
And what if Crosby didn’t badly turn his ankle in Week 2? No matter how gallantly he pushed on, the injury hampered him all season, and when he reinjured it in Week 14, he was sidelined for the rest of the season.
The bottom line is that the potent defensive line the Raiders envisioned going into the season, which would set the tone for the defense by putting maximum pressure on opposing quarterbacks, never materialized.
As a result, a defense that surrendered the ninth-fewest points in the league in 2023 gave up the seventh-most in 2024. And a pass rush that was projected to be one of the best in the league registered just 38 sacks, which ranked 21st in the NFL.
A hampered Crosby had 7½ sacks in 12 games. Wilkins had two in five games. Wilson showed minimal growth in his second year and finished with just 4½ sacks for the season.
The Raiders got solid play from Adam Butler (five sacks) and Chaisson (five sacks) in rotational roles, and Laulu showed promise over the course of his rookie season.
Level of need: High
Of the Raiders’ core group, only Crosby, Wilkins, Wilson and Laulu are under contract for 2025.
Crosby, though, is due for a new deal. The guaranteed portion of the extension he signed in 2022 has been exhausted, and it is highly unusual that a player of his caliber plays on a nonguaranteed salary. The Raiders are motivated to get a new deal done but expect the financial commitment to be substantial.
It also sure would help if Wilson could finally turn the corner after underachieving in his first two seasons. He was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2023 to be an impact player, and it’s time he made good on that investment.
How can they address things?
A deep, talented defensive line group headlines the NFL draft, with the interior prospects considered the best in years.
The Raiders can justifiably use two to three draft picks on the defensive line, even as early as the sixth overall pick. Depending on how things play out, the Raiders could be picking among Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Michigan’s Mason Graham, Georgia’s Jalon Walker and Marshall’s Mike Green.
Other draft prospects to keep an eye on are Walter Nolen (Ole Miss), Kenneth Grant (Michigan), JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State), Mykel Williams (Georgia), Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M), Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), Tyleik Williams (Ohio State), James Pearce (Tennessee), Alfred Collins (Texas), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State), Joshua Farmer (Florida State), Princely Umanmielen (Ole Miss), Kyle Kennard (South Carolina), Landon Jackson (Arkansas), Darius Alexander (Toledo), Jordan Burch (Oregon), T.J. Sanders (South Carolina), Deone Walker (Kentucky) and Notre Dame’s Rylie Mills and Howard Cross.
In free agency, keeping Koonce, Adam Butler and Chaisson would help the front line and the depth. On the open market, Milton Williams (Eagles), Levi Onwuzurike (Lions) and Osa Odighizuwa (Cowboys) could be possibilities.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
