The Raiders have completely revamped their roster over the last two years and have shifted more assets to the defensive side of the ball. That seems to be working as the Raiders had a top-16 defense for the first time in two decades.
But what position on their roster is the strongest heading into this upcoming year? In a recent article, ESPN ranked all 32 rosters from 1 to 32 heading into the 2024 season.
The Raiders did not grade out well, coming in at No. 26. However, the site was very complimentary of their defensive line. Here is what Mike Clay Jr. had to say about their biggest strength heading into the new season:
Defensive line. The Raiders already had one of the league’s best edge rushers in Maxx Crosby (fourth in the league with 27.0 sacks and first among edge rushers with 178 tackles over the past two seasons) and added one of the league’s top defensive tackles in Christian Wilkins (fifth among DTs with 9.0 sacks in 2023) during free agency.
Malcolm Koonce has emerged as a solid edge, and the Raiders will expect a leap from 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson this season. DT depth behind Wilkins is a concern, but this unit has plenty of potential.
The Raiders have spent a ton of resources on the defensive line and now, it’s starting to pay dividends. The rest of the roster needs some help, but the hope is that the defensive line will be able to help them win games singlehandedly. We shall see if that will happen, but there aren’t many teams in the NFL with a better defensive line than the Raiders.
