The Las Vegas Raiders landed a solid edge rusher in Yannick Ngakoue, and the move was rated one of the top-5 in the NFL this offseason.
Early on in the 2021 offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders added a tremendous talent in Yannick Ngakoue, a player the team had been coveting for quite some time. Ngakoue has been a consistent edge rusher since coming into the league back in 2016, a season where he played under current Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
Bradley was fired towards the end of Ngakoue’s rookie season, replaced by Doug Marrone, but there should be a solid comfort level there. The move was great for the Raiders, and one media outlet feels it was one of the best in the league this offseason.
We all know Moe Moton, who does a tremendous job on our site and is one of the key NFL guys over at Bleacher Report. Recently, he put out a list of the top-5 moves in the entire NFL so far this offseason, and the Raiders’ addition of Ngakoue came in at No. 3 overall.
It was an outstanding move for the Silver and Black, who needed to get Maxx Crosby some help on the other side of the line, and his addition is only going to help Madd Maxx improve early in his career.
Raiders address their pass rush
Las Vegas needed to improve on both sides of the ball, and specifically on defense, all three levels. They added some nice pieces along the defensive line in the interior, but Ngakoue is the piece that is going to make all the difference this upcoming season for Bradley and this defensive unit.
Recently, they brought back Karl Joseph to the secondary, and re-signed Nicholas Morrow, giving them solid depth at linebacker. If they can add a cornerback or two, and another safety, they should have enough pieces to improve one of the worst defenses in football last season.
For Ngakoue, he is going to have an opportunity to really make an impact in the Silver and Black, and Bradley has been a huge fan of his since selecting him in the 2016 NFL Draft. He is young, dynamic, and explosive, and for a team that had only 21 sacks last season, he could be a breath of fresh air.