McVay: Raiders’ defense is on the rise
“It’s putting a matter your eyes of just where they need to be and locking in and doing your job.” Tahir Raiders Whitehead, linebacker
To hear Rams head coach Sean McVay tell it, the Raiders’ defense has made strides since the start of last season. Leaps, even. Bounds. McVay, whose Rams opened the 2018 regular season at the Coliseum, was asked after Thursday’s joint practice in Napa to compare last year’s Oakland defense to the current version.
“A lot of new faces, a lot of speed, a lot of physicality,” McVay said. “I think you’re seeing guys get more and more comfortable with (defensive coordinator Paul) Guenther’s system. There’s definitely some nice intricacies to it that make it really challenging to an offense.
“They’ve got some good depth up front, they’ve got some inside linebackers that can play, and they’ve got some physical safeties and some corners that can run. I think you can expect them to be a really tough matchup for offenses this year.”
McVay’s thorough review might have been ultracomplimentary. But there’s no question the Raiders had plenty of areas to improve after ranking last in the NFL in points allowed, 26th in total defense, 29th in opponents’ passer rating and 30th against the run last season.
With most starters expected to be held out of Saturday’s preseason opener, this week’s joint practices allowed the Raiders to gauge a defense with five projected new starters against one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses. And they were decidedly, if predictably, encouraged.
“The last two days was a good challenge for us to see where we are as a whole, as a defense to see how far along we are,” linebacker Tahir Whitehead said Thursday. “I think things went well. There was a lot of back and forth. In Year 2 of the scheme, I think we’re a lot further than we were last year.”
One area in which the Raiders defense struggled was in guarding tight ends. According to Football Outsiders, the Raiders faced the sixthfewest passes per game to tight ends but allowed the sixthmost yards. On Thursday, tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett were frequent targets for Rams quarterback Jared Goff.
In the offseason, the Raiders signed free agent Brandon Marshall — whom head coach Jon Gruden called “one of the best coverage linebackers in football” when healthy — and have a new safety tandem of rookie Johnathan Abram and Karl Joseph. Early in team drills Thursday, Everett made a catch on a deep route with Marshall in coverage. Overall, Whitehead said, he was encouraged by the tightend coverage.
“Definitely improved yesterday and, as the day went on, today,” Whitehead said. “It’s a matter of just putting your eyes where they need to be and locking in and doing your job. That’s what it all boils down to, especially with all the things they run in their offense. … You really have to be locked in to where your keys are and doing your job instead of trying to compensate and do other people’s jobs.”
Gruden had wanted to evaluate the Raiders’ defensive backs against the Rams’ receivers, two of whom — Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods — eclipsed 1,200 yards last season. The Raiders return starting cornerbacks Gareon Conley and Daryl Worley but also drafted corners Trayvon Mullen (second round) and Isaiah Johnson (fourth), who manned the secondteam defense Thursday.
On Thursday, Gruden said he’d hoped to see Nick Nelson — last year’s fourthround pick and “a real surprise” this offseason — take more reps, but that he was “pleased” by the cornerback play.
“I think Conley’s getting better,” Gruden said. “I really am excited about Isaiah and Trayvon — they are not intimidated, it’s not too big for them so far and they have progressively gotten better. They can do a lot of things with their length and size.”
McVay said of rookies Abram and defensive end Clelin Ferrell, the No. 4 overall pick in April: “You feel those guys out there.” Abram had a bold response when asked Wednesday what the defense had learned from its first practice against a different opponent.
“Pretty much that we can play with anybody,” Abram said. “If we can go up against one of the best offenses in the league and compete the way we did, we can go against anybody.”