After racking up ten sacks in ten starts as a rookie, Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby should have his eyes on Derrick Burgess’ record.
The Las Vegas Raiders got an absolute gem in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, as Maxx Crosby proved to be one of the more dynamic rookies in football last season. The kid from Eastern Michigan took the league by storm by racking up double-digit sacks, and could easily have walked away with the league’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honor.
Still, it was a rookie season that cemented his place as a cornerstone player on this defense for years to come, and after a ten-sack rookie season, his eyes should be on Derrick Burgess’ single-season sack record of 16, set back in 2005.
Last season, Crosby started only ten of the Raiders 16 games, and did not make his first start until Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. After registering a half a sack in the Raiders next game, a win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Crosby went ballistic against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Playing against an Andy Dalton-less Bengals team, Crosby harassed Ryan Finley all game long, racking up four sacks. It was a coming out party for an edge rusher who plays the game with high intensity, and could just be scratching the surface of how good he can actually be.
Addition of Rod Marinelli as Defensive Line coach
Brentson Buckner did a phenomenal job as the Raiders defensive line coach last season, building up a unit that was a laughing stock the year before. The Raiders finished dead last in the NFL in sacks during the 2018 season, racking up only 13 as a team, a mark Crosby passed by himself as a rookie.
Marinelli is one of the best in the business in this role, and has coached up some of the best edge rushers the game has seen. In Crosby, he will be getting a guy with a tremendous motor that knows how to do one thing great, and that is get after the quarterback.
Of course, 16 sacks in a season is an incredible number to get to, but with six more starts in 2020, assuming Crosby stays healthy, it is attainable. Remember, the Raiders added talent on the interior of the line in Maliek Collins, which should take some pressure off of Crosby coming off the edge.