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Oakland Raiders run defense will be better than their PFF ranking

By Brad Weiss

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 24: Vontaze Burfict #55 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 24: Vontaze Burfict #55 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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With improvements all over the defensive side of the ball, the Oakland Raiders run defense should be better than their current PFF ranking.

After going 4-12 last season, the story of the Oakland Raiders going into this season is that it will be another long year. Experts from around the country are putting them in the bottom half of the NFL, and in some respects, they aren’t even towards the middle.

Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus recently put together his ranking of all 32 NFL teams and their run defense, and the Raiders did not fare too well. In fact, Oakland was ranked in the bottom six of the NFL, coming in as the No. 27 ranked run defense entering the new season.

In the piece, Renner discusses the additions the Raiders made on defense this offseason, but does not feel they will necessarily help. While Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict are coming off down years, a change of scenery could be good for them, leading to a much-improved defensive front seven for Oakland in 2019.

Not only did the Raiders add Burfict and Marshall, but they are also getting Justin Ellis back on the interior of their defense. Ellis was a solid force against the run prior to the 2018 NFL season, playing so well that the team decided to extend his contract before injury struck.

When you add Ellis to a group that already includes Johnathan Hankins, P.J. Hall, and Maurice Hurst, you have the makings of a very good interior defensive line. Hurst looked like a future Pro Bowl player last season as a rookie, and Hall should be improved entering his second season in the league as well.

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Clelin Ferrell should be a much better option off the edge as a rookie, and Arden Key is another guy entering Year No. 2 that should play much better than he did a year ago. Overall, this is a Raiders defense that will be a lot better than the product we saw last season, and their end of season ranking should be much better than their summer one.

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