In a recent article by ESPN, they laid out the offseason blueprint for the Raiders. That plan included trading Derek Carr, bringing back Josh Jacobs, and drafting their next franchise quarterback.
But one of their biggest priorities has to be to get Maxx Crosby some help. Despite adding Chandler Jones this offseason, the rest of the team outside of Crosby registered just 14.5 sacks. That’s not good enough. They have to get him some help.
Here is what senior writer Paul Gutierrez had to say about the pass rush this season outside of Crosby and how they can help him going forward:
“The Raiders will consider using the $40 million saved on Carr’s contract to address the defense and give defensive end Maxx Crosby much-needed help. Yes, free agency and the draft should both be aimed at defense. Las Vegas was near the bottom of the league in defensive EPA (minus-82.2) and passing yards allowed per game (242.9).”
The good news is that Jones started to turn things on in the second half of the season. But he suffered an elbow injury against Pittsburgh in Week 16 and was placed on the injured reserve list. He finished the season with 4.5 sacks, which was the second-most on the team.
The Raiders have to do a better job of adding depth behind Crosby and Jones as they played far too many snaps. They also could use more help on the interior defensive line as that unit combined for three sacks all season. That’s just not going to cut it.
Look for the Raiders to be aggressive in looking for more pass-rush help this offseason.
