Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who cannot take a step backward

Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who cannot take a step backward

Nick Kwiatkoski

The last player on our list was not a draft pick by the Raiders franchise, but instead, a free agent signing from this past offseason. Heading into the 2020 season, the Silver and Black needed up upgrade at linebacker, and they did so by adding both Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski.

At the time, Littleton was considered the biggest of the signings and was seen as a player who would really turn this defense around. Unfortunately, he did not gel with Paul Guenther and his system, and it was actually Kwiatkoski who had the better season, racking up 81 tackles in only 12 games played.

He is the kind of middle linebacker that this team has been missing, and in 2021, he should rack up well over 100 tackles as a leader for this Raiders defense.

Las Vegas Raiders: 3 bold, early defensive predictions for 2021

The Las Vegas Raiders struggled mightily on defense this past season, but new faces could lead to some surprisingly good play on that side of the ball.

The defense as a whole will be the key in the Raiders finally getting back to the playoffs, and Kwiatkoski showed that he was much better than advertised in Year 1 as a Raider. Some feel he could be a Pro Bowl player this upcoming season, and if that happens, you have to think this defense took a step in the right direction.