For the Las Vegas Raiders, the 2024 offseason saw another big change at the quarterback position, as Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer were both released. With Aidan O'Connell returning, fresh off a strong close to the 2023 season, he is likely to get the first snaps this summer, but free agent signing Gardner Minshew II is going to give him a run for his money for the starting job.
Here, we look at three players not named O'Connell or Minshew that will make or break the Raiders 2024 campaign.
3 non-QB Raiders who will make or break the 2024 season
3. Malcolm Koonce
Once Antonio Pierce was inserted as the team's interim head coach last year, things changed in a good way for the Raiders. The defense took a major step forward, and a big reason for that was the play of edge rusher Malcolm Koonce.
Going into the year, it was a hope that 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson would be the complement to Maxx Crosby in the pass rush, but it was Koonce who put his name on the map. With Koonce returning in a contract year, you can expect more of the same from him, and both men will benefit from the addition of Christian Wilkins.
If Koonce looks like the player who dominated NFL offensive lines down the stretch in 2023, the Raiders could have one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the league. However, he is still a bit of an unproven player, so we will see how this all plays out going forward.