Defense often seems to take a backseat to offense for Jon Gruden, which is ironic considering he got his Super Bowl ring thanks to a dominant defensive squad. But Gruden is an offensive guru, so that’s what he thinks about most. And he’s the one with the final say in who the Raiders sign and draft.
The result of this lopsided emphasis is the Raiders having one of the worst defenses in the NFL in both of Gruden’s first two seasons back as the team’s head coach.
Though he didn’t have much to work with when he got here, most of the players still on the team who disappointed last season were players acquired on his watch.
After identifying four offensive players who must step up, here are six players on defense and special teams who have to do the same.
DT Maurice Hurst
Hurst being a fifth-round selection in the 2018 draft was greeted with much fanfare. He was originally projected as a first-round prospect out of Michigan, but fell in the draft because of a heart condition that was flagged at the combine. If his heart was his only issue, it would figure to mean that if his heart turned out to be OK, he would be a steal. We haven’t seen that yet.
He showed some promise as a rookie, but didn’t make the leap many expected in his second year. Now the team has a new defensive line coach in Rod Marinelli and he brought a couple of his former players over from Dallas including defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Daniel Ross.
Hurst would appear to have a leg up on his second-round draft classmate P.J. Hall, but neither has a spot locked up right now. Right now at best, Hurst is already looking at a rotational role and will have to start showing some of that potential to earn even that role.
EDGE Clelin Ferrell
Fans were grasping at anything they could to feel good about Ferrell in his rookie season. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. As a rookie, it’s somewhat appropriate to seek out the positives, even in flashes, and hope he can expand upon them in his second season and beyond.
Ferrell was dreadful early on, struggling in all aspects of the game. Around midseason, he began showing some signs he could stop the run and also had a 2.5-sack game in Week 10 against the Chargers, finishing with 4.5 sacks on the season. No, it is in no way comparable to what Khalil Mack did as a rookie, because the raw sack stats barely tell a fraction of the story.
What we can gather from Ferrell’s rookie year is that he was showing signs of improvement so long as he wasn’t being lined up inside. Just in case they don’t see leaps from him, they signed Carl Nassib. Best-case scenario, Ferrell, Nassib, and Maxx Crosby can cycle through and provide consistent pass rush.
EDGE Arden Key
The great training camp and preseason wonder who hasn’t shown up in the season. As a rookie, the Raiders saw a potential starter. Now, they are just hoping Key can be a third-down situational pass rusher and put up some sacks much the same way Benson Mayowa did last season. That’s what they need from him. If they don’t get that from him this year, it’s hard to see him getting another chance.
LB Nicholas Morrow
In 2018, he became a starter late in the season and played well enough to earn another shot at it. The team added Brandon Marshall in the offseason, but Marshall could never get back to full health, so he was cut and the job fell again to Morrow.
The former undrafted linebacker out of Division III Greenville didn’t have the season many had hoped to see from him, but he did enough to earn a second-round RFA tender from the team.
The Raiders added linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski this offseason and cut Tahir Whitehead, which means there is a third linebacker spot up for grabs. How well Morrow performs in the offseason will go a long way to the team deciding how often they field three linebackers and if he’s the one who gets the call.
CB Lamarcus Joyner
Joyner was the one high-profile free-agent addition on defense for the Raiders last offseason. The versatile defensive back was to be the answer at nickel corner. He was immensely disappointing in that role.
He makes too much money to just be cut and the team doesn’t have any proven options to replace him. They drafted Amik Robertson in the fourth round as the hopeful future at nickel corner. How near or distant that future is could be dependent upon Joyner’s performance. Joyner could also potentially move to safety if Paul Guenther likes that alignment better.
K Daniel Carlson
Carlson was a gem of a find as a fifth-round pick in 2018 after he was cut by the Vikings after Week 2. He signed with the Raiders midseason and missed just one kick the rest of the year, making 15 straight at one point.
He was a very different kicker in 2019. To put it plainly, Carlson stunk it up last season, missing seven of his 26 attempts. Just two of those attempts came from 50 yards or more and he missed both of them.
It can be difficult to know what kind of kicker they have when there’s no pressure in a practice setting. Carlson’s competition right now is undrafted rookie Dominik Eberle. Carlson was cut by the Vikings after two games because he missed three field goal attempts in one game. He showed some of those same jitters last season and could be looking at an equally short leash this season.