Las Vegas Raiders: 3 reasons to be excited about the 2021 season
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders: 3 reasons to be excited about the 2021 season
Revamped Defense
As we stated earlier, the Raiders made it a point to revamp the defense this offseason, bringing in talent on all three levels. Upfront, the Raiders made their biggest splash, adding edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who will definitely help them improve in terms of getting after the quarterback.
Last year, the Raiders managed only 21 sacks as a team, with seven of them coming from Maxx Crosby. The combination of Ngakoue and Crosby is going to be a good one, and many believe that Clelin Ferrell is going to continue to trend in the right direction as he enters his third season in the league.
The linebacker group is returning in terms of the starters, but two newcomers will be welcome in rookie Divine Deablo, and second-year player Tanner Muse. Muse missed his entire rookie season in 2020, and both he and Deablo have enough athleticism, and versatility to be used in several different roles this season.
In the secondary, there are plenty of new faces, and for good reason, as this group struggled mightily in 2020. The hope is that Johnathan Abram can rebound, but the team brought in Karl Joseph in free agency, and Trevon Moehrig in the draft to bolster the safety spot.
At corner, Trayvon Mullen will lead a group with new faces as well, including Casey Hayward, who was a big pickup for them in free agency.