Team near bottom in putting pressure on passers
OAKLAND, Calif. — Perhaps a roster adjustment can help spark the Raiders’ pass rush.
Defensive end Shilique Calhoun was promoted Tuesday from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. In a corresponding move, defensive tackle Brian Price was waived. The Raiders have struggled to pressure the quarterback after two games, ranking 31st in the NFL with two sacks.
There is more to pressuring the quarterback than tackling him behind the line of scrimmage, though, such as hurries and hits.
In Week 1, the Raiders pressured Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff on 14.7 percent of his dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate in the league for Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
On Sunday, the team pressured Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum on 24.3 percent of dropbacks, which ranked seventh-lowest for Week 2.
Coach Jon Gruden expressed displeasure with the lack of production.
“We’ve got to do something,” Gruden said Sunday after a 20-19 loss in Denver. “We’ve got to get there. We’ve got to win in some oneon-ones and maybe call up some more blitzes. We’ve got to figure something out. We will.”
Price joined the Raiders on Sept. 3 after being claimed off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys. He was inactive in Week 1 but started against the Broncos in Week 2. Still, he played only 17 snaps, the fewest of any Raiders defensive lineman. The Raiders will move forward with nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and defensive tackle Clinton Mcdonald, the two additions they made last week.
The team lost tackle Justin Ellis (foot strain, injured reserve) and defensive tackle P.J. Hall (ankle sprain) in the season opener. Hall, a rookie second-round pick, isn’t expected to play Sunday at Miami.
Calhoun was a 2016 Raiders thirdround pick. He has yet to establish himself in 20 games but demonstrated improvement this offseason, looking more comfortable in defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s aggressive scheme. He made the 53man roster this month after failing to do so in 2017. The team cut him last week to create room for Hankins and Mcdonald.
The New York Giants have one sack this season. At two, the Raiders are tied with the Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the lack of pressure, Gruden said Monday that he doesn’t regret the trade of defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears this month. First-round draft picks in 2019 and 2020 were at the deal’s foundation. Mack has two of the Bears’ Nfl-high 10 sacks.
“We made the trade,” Gruden said. “There is going to be hindsight 50-50, all that stuff. We would have loved to have him here, and I’m not going to keep rehashing this. I would have loved to coach him, loved to have him here, but he’s not here. Somebody’s got to step up. We got to keep building our football team, and that’s what we are going to do.
“Hopefully, we see more from (defensive end) Arden Key. Hopefully, we see more from P.J. Hall when he gets healthy. Hopefully, we prove that in the long term we did the right thing.”
Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Gehlkennfl on Twitter.