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Defensive end seen as biggest camp battle for the Oakland Raiders

By Brad Weiss

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders puts the pass pressure on quarterback Joshua Dobbs #5 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: Arden Key #99 of the Oakland Raiders puts the pass pressure on quarterback Joshua Dobbs #5 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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There are plenty of training camp battles to keep an eye on when it comes to the Oakland Raiders, and defensive end was rated the biggest.

Last season, the Oakland Raiders traded away star defensive end Khalil Mack, leaving them with a gaping hole on the edge. The hope was that veteran Bruce Irvin would step up in his absence, and that rookie Arden Key would become a true sack master at the NFL level.

Unfortunately, Irvin was an absolute disgrace for the Raiders last season, and Key had the kind of growing pains that you would expect from a rookie. What ended up happening is that the Raiders were historically bad at getting after the quarterback, finishing up dead last in the NFL in sacks by a wide margin.

This offseason, the team decided to focus on the position group via the NFL Draft once again, bringing in Clelin Ferrell from Clemson with the No. 4 overall pick. In the fourth round, the team took Maxx Crosby, giving them two more young defensive ends that should be very productive at the NFL level.

Mark Chichester from Pro Football Focus recently laid out his list of the biggest training camp battle for each NFL team, and the Raiders was a no-brainer. In his piece, Chichester feels the battle for who starts opposite Clelin Ferrell at defensive end will be the biggest battle of the summer.

Ferrell was an absolute stud at Clemson, helping the team to two national titles along a defensive line that was the best in college football. The Raiders have plenty to choose from in terms of who starts opposite Ferrell this season, including Key and Crosby, who will be fighting it out against veteran Benson Mayowa.

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The Raiders will be introducing plenty of new pieces this season, and there is good reason to believe that this team is going to be a lot more competitive than the experts are thinking. Overall, there is talent at the defensive end position, and if Key can take a step forward, and Crosby and Ferrell are solid in Year 1, the sack total is sure to improve significantly.

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