While the early returns on the 2020 offseason haven’t been great for the Raiders, one of their best moves was bringing in veteran linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. After being only a part-time player in Chicago, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden identified him as a player that could become a star in a bigger role.
Through Week 14, that has absolutely been the case as Kwiatkoski has been the team’s best defender this year. According to Pro Football Focus, he is currently graded as the No. 14 linebacker in the league, ahead of players such as Darius Leonard, Roquan Smith and Leighton Vander Esch.
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he was named a possible Pro Bowl selection due to his strong season with the Raiders. Here is what Monson had to say about the linebacker position, including Kwiatkoski, in the AFC:
The AFC linebackers can’t quite match their NFC counterparts, but there have been some impressive performances. Myles Jack has the same number of defensive stops (43) as Bobby Wagner, while Nick Kwiatkoski has a top-10 coverage grade at the position (81.7) for the Raiders. Alexander Johnson has proven that last year was no fluke, even if he isn’t quite matching those highs this year for Denver — his 51 defensive stops are second in the league among all players.
With the Raiders being as bad as they are on defense, it’s possible that Kwiatkoski won’t get the respect that he deserves. But he has been a welcomed addition to Las Vegas as he has helped cover up some of their woes in coverage. Kwiatkoski has been everything the Raiders could have hoped for and more in his first season with the team. In the upcoming days, we shall see if that results in a Pro Bowl selection for the 27-year old linebacker.
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