Ranking the Raiders defensive position groups against the AFC West

Defensive Line

The Raiders have made a concerted effort to improve along the defensive line during the last two NFL Drafts, and added a key piece in Maliek Collins this offseason. They are stronger up front than they have been in some time, and that will be crucial as they enter their new era in Las Vegas.

Von Miller has terrorized the AFC West and the rest of the NFL throughout his career, as he ranks tied for 25th in league history with 106 career sacks and ranks sixth 216 QB hits. Even in a “down year” Miller still managed to rack up eight sacks last season.

Denver’s defensive line goes beyond the future Hall of Famer, as Bradley Chubb, who had 12 sacks as a rookie, will return from injury, and the Broncos added five-time Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey in the offseason. While a lot of attention has been turned towards the new weapons for Drew Lock, this defense has improved as well.

Many people were hoping the Kansas City Chiefs wouldn’t be able to afford to bring back Chris Jones, but nonetheless, he and his 33 career sacks and 37 tackles for loss will stay in Kansas City for at least one more season. To make matters worse, Frank Clark gives the team a nice pass-rushing combo that will continue to be a problem for opposing offenses.

If the Broncos didn’t add Casey into the mix, I’d give the Super Bowl champs the top spot here, but regardless, they’ll still be very good upfront. It is pretty scary when you consider how good the Chiefs will be on both sides of the ball in 2020.

Los Angeles also has a couple of good edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Since 2016, those two have combined for 72.5 sacks and 154 quarterback hits. While Bosa and Ingram aren’t the greatest run-defenders, the organization brought in Linval Joseph to pick up some of the slack.

Expect the Chargers to have a very good defensive line this season, as Bosa and Ingram are still in their primes, and are only going to get better. Of course, there are issues at quarterback for the Chargers, but the defensive line is going to keep them in games.

The Las Vegas Raiders have made tremendous strides when it comes to the defensive line in the last couple of years. Maxx Crosby had a phenomenal season in 2019, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration, and the team brought in Carl Nassib who had 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in the last two years.

However, Las Vegas’ group still isn’t up to par with the rest of the division, and will be reliant on a handful of young players. Clelin Ferrell will have to take a next step in Year 2, and Maurice Hurst and P.J. Hall need to continue their growth, but this young group has the talent to surprise people in 2020.