The biggest offseason acquisition along the defensive front for the Raiders was the trade that never actually happened.
A deal sending star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby to Baltimore that was eventually rescinded by the Ravens caused a bit of chaos at the start of free agency, but the end result was the Raiders holding on to one of the best edge defenders in the league.
It was a pretty nice consolation prize.
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Crosby is a transformative figure for the Raiders defense along the line of scrimmage. The unit has plenty of depth and diverse skill sets, but nobody who can command the kind of attention from an opposing offense that Crosby does on every snap.
He makes the whole group better and now appears to be on a mission after the way the entire situation transpired.
Crosby will also give new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard his most important chess piece up front. Leonard’s scheme is largely an unknown as a first-time playcaller, but the belief is he is going to utilize a variety of looks and move players all around the formation to create chaos.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the early part of this season will be clocking what Leonard’s system will look like and whether his looks and fronts will really be as multiple as is being discussed.
The rotation and how roles start to develop will also be worth watching when training camp ramps up Wednesday.
The Review-Journal will count down to the opening session by looking at a different position group each day, continuing with the defensive line today.
Roster
Interior: Adam Butler, Thomas Booker IV, Jonah Laulu, Benito Jones, Tonka Hemingway, J.J. Pegues, Brandon Cleveland, Treven Ma’ae, Laki Tasi, Gary Smith III
Ends: Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Keyron Crawford, Jahfari Harvey, Cian Slone
Outlook
A great deal has been made of the Raiders switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 this season. Perhaps too much has been made of it.
NFL teams don’t just run one look in all situations and the Raiders are going to be no different under Leonard.
Expect this group to move around quite a bit and align in a variety of ways, so the position nomenclature isn’t really that important. Players like Crosby, Paye and Koonce may be referred to as outside linebackers at times, but they are really just edge defenders that will be listed as defensive ends for the purpose of this preview.
Crosby, in particular, could be deployed in a variety of ways under Leonard, who has been his position coach the last three seasons and has a very close relationship with him. They will likely collaborate on ways to best utilize Crosby in this defense.
He’s undoubtedly the lynchpin of the unit.
The rest of the group will be best deployed coming at opponents in waves.
Paye is a former first-round pick who has been productive as a pass rusher, but has thrived against the run on the edge. Koonce returned from a knee injury last year and showed flashes of his former self, though the team would like to see more consistency coming off the edge.
Crawford is a former high school basketball star who came to football late and that athleticism jumps off his college tape. He could have an impact early on as a situational pass rusher. Harvey was with the organization most of last season and appeared in two games.
Slone was one of the undrafted rookie free agents who opened some eyes during OTAs. He has a nonstop motor and has quickly taken a page from Crosby’s book in terms of treating every practice rep like it’s the Super Bowl.
Jones was brought in as an option to be a somewhat traditional nose tackle role when the Raiders are in a 3-4 base. Butler can also fill that kind of role when needed and will get a good share of the reps on the interior of the line.
Booker is a very cerebral player who was a rare bright spot on last year’s roster after being acquired in a trade during training camp. Laulu is a Centennial High School alum who had a great summer and will look to take another step forward in his third season.
They should be able to move around a bit on the line, along with 2025 draft picks Hemingway and Pegues. Both players really started to settle in down the stretch as rookies. Hemingway had three sacks in the last two games.
Cleveland may be limited to early-down work as a run stopper, but that was an area the Raiders definitely needed to address in the draft.
Tasi is a former rugby player who came to the Raiders through the International Pathway Program and is still learning the game. The team had him on the offensive line much of last season, and now he will give defense a try as they find a way to use his size and strength.
Ma’ae, a Bishop Gorman alum, had some solid moments during the preseason last year after signing as an undrafted free agent and later spent much of his rookie year on the practice squad.
Smith has some intrigue as another pure run-stuffing nose who can eat space. He was brought in as an undrafted rookie with the possible idea of developing him to fill that role in the future.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
