The Raiders are heavily relying on their defensive line to carry them this season. That makes a lot of sense, as it’s their best unit, and they beat teams like the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos by themselves in 2023.
But for the group to be even better in 2024, they’ll need some of their young players to step up. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be much of an issue. In a recent article, Larry Holder of The Athletic examined every team’s pass rush unit entering the 2024 season.
One of the players who impressed Holder the most was Malcolm Koonce, who had a higher pressure rate than Maxx Crosby in 2023. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about the fourth-year pass rusher going into the new season:
Now, I wouldn’t have guessed Malcolm Koonce to have the Raiders’ top pressure rate last season. He had nearly as many sacks in 2023 (8.0) as he had total tackles (nine) in 2022. The 2021 third-round pick will undoubtedly be a player to watch heading into a contract year.
With Christian Wilkins likely to draw more attention at defensive tackle, it should open up even more one-on-one opportunities for Koonce on the right side. And given his rapid development, he should be able to turn more of his pressures into sacks.
Koonce should be in line for a double-digit sack season in 2024 and if that is the case, expect him to earn a monster payday in 2025. That would be a great problem for the Raiders to have, especially if Tyree Wilson can take a big step in Year 2.
The Raiders have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL and the improvement of Koonce is a big reason why. Look for him to be even better and more disruptive in Year 4.
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