Raiders coach has big compliments towards position group that means a little more when you look at his history
The Las Vegas Raiders have turned a significant corner since where they were with their defense in 2022. Last season their defense started slow, but down the stretch, they turned up the heat and became one of the league's best units on that side of the ball.Heading into 2024, we are expecting them to carry […]
The Las Vegas Raiders have turned a significant corner since where they were with their defense in 2022. Last season their defense started slow, but down the stretch, they turned up the heat and became one of the league's best units on that side of the ball.
Heading into 2024, we are expecting them to carry that over, if not get even better. One position group we know will get even better is the defensive line, which was amazing last year. Yes, they have Maxx Crosby, the best defensive player in the league, but they also have other guys that the casual fan may not know about, and of course one of the biggest additions in free agency this summer.
The addition of Christian Wilkins will only make this defense even better. Their ceiling and floor have both raised now, and teams are going to absolutely hate playing against their defense. In terms of their defensive line, this is one of the best groups in the league. The defensive line coach thinks even bigger than that.
"It's one of the best groups I've been around in 12 years," defensive line coach Rob Leonard said recently. "It's a lot of fun, but what's crazy is, it's the same group plus him from last year. So, last year I remember what people were saying as well going into the season. John Jenkins and Adam Butler were like camp bodies, you know what I'm saying? And then you add a guy that they're familiar with, it's a lot of fun to come work every day."
That's saying a lot when you dive deeper into the teams Leonard has coached. He has coached some elite teams with defensive lines throughout his career.
In 2022 he coached the Baltimore Ravens, which was one of the best defenses in the league and consisted of players like Justin Houston, Justin Madubuike, Calais Campbell, and others. He also coached the New York Giants from 2013-2018, in which he saw some great defensive lines with players like Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Linval Joseph.
So, when he says this defensive line is great, he knows what he's talking about. And, it isn't just the guys like Crosby or Wilkins. It's the others, too.
"In terms of like creating a standard, him [Adam Butler] and 98 [Maxx Crosby] – this is one of the groups that what makes this special is you're building a team, not just a group of talent," Leonard said. "So, their traits, their personalities all play off each other. They balance each other really well, which creates infectious energy and it's a lot of fun."
Regardless of how this defensive line stacks up against those, the unit is undoubtedly going to be so much fun to watch.
Former Raiders OL Richie Incognito responds to Maxx Crosby’s comments
The brotherhood is strong.
