Raiders get stronger up front
Team adds depth, flexibility, upside to defensive line
An omnipresent warning light kept blinking in the Raiders’ meeting room as they went about preparing for the opening of free agency this week. It kept drawing attention to a defensive line that formed one of the roots of the defensive deficiencies last season.
Among the biggest issues was a sack total of only 12½.
“Not acceptable,” is how a prominent voice in the hierarchy assessed the 2020 performance on the defensive front.
It will be months before the results of coach Jon Gruden, general manager Mike Mayock and new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s efforts this week come into full view. But by adding premier pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue and defensive tackles Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas to the mix, the Raiders have added depth, flexibility, upside and production to a unit that, outside of second-year defensive end Cle Ferrell, underperformed last season.
“We’re going to be disruptive,” Thomas said Friday.
Ngakoue, Jefferson and Thomas join defensive ends Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Carl Nassib and Arden Key and defensive tackles Mo Hurst, Johnathan Hankins, David Irving and Kendal Vickers.
Nassib agreed to restructure his contract Friday to free up $4 million in cap space. His job seems secure as a rotational edge rusher, but his play needs to improve.
Ferrell’s and Crosby’s jobs are safe, with the presence of Ngakoue probably pushing Crosby into a pass-rush specialist role off the bench. In doing so, his snap efficiency should benefit simply by a reduction in playing time after he saw 906 snaps last season.
Key will have to fight to keep his roster spot.
Inside, Jefferson and Thomas will get every chance to battle Hurst and Hankins for starting jobs. The outcome should result in a stronger reserve corp that includes Irving and Vickers.
The success of Bradley’s Cover-3 pass-coverage scheme is largely predicated on getting pass rush pressure from the front four. That was largely nonexistent last season.
The Raiders are trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again. The key is Ngakoue, one of five active players with 40 or more sacks and 15 or more forced fumbles since 2016. He reunites with Bradley, the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Ngakoue’s rookie season.
“A no-brainer,” is how Ngakoue described the decision to hook up again with Bradley, whom the 25-yearold described as a “father figure.”
Thomas, the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, never lived up to expectations in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. But at 25, he still has upside with his athletic ability and power. Coming off a knee injury that limited him to two games last season, Solomon hopes a change of scenery, a return to health and settling in the three-technique defensive tackle spot with the Raiders can get him back on track.
“The three-tech is where I made my bread and butter in college,” Thomas said. “That’s where I feel the most efficient. I feel like I can be extremely explosive. I’m quick, I’m really strong with my size, and I’m ready to wreak havoc and ready to get after it.”
Ngakoue, who had his eye on the Raiders as a landing spot when the Jaguars were fielding trade offers for him last season, said he thinks the defense now has the talent to produce.
“If we can just jell together and put the knowledge that we have of just playing the run and pass rush, we can turn it around and make it real special,” he said.