Major questions still plaguing the Las Vegas Raiders entering the final preseason game
By Brad Weiss
Will the Las Vegas Raiders defense actually thrive in 2023?
There is no doubt that the Las Vegas Raiders defense has been better this offseason, showing promise on all three levels during the team's first two victories. The linebacker group has been better than expected, with guys like Amari Burney and Drake Thomas thriving in Year 1, while the secondary looks fast and opportunistic.
Along the defensive line, there have been flashes, and we really have not see the unit with elite stars like Maxx Crosby coming off the edge. Dave Ziegler did a lot to bolster the interior of the defensive line in recent offseasons, but did he really do enough for this group to finally start getting some major push?
Patrick Graham enters a make-or-break year as the team's defensive coordinator, and the front office has given him some key pieces to work with this offseason, especially in the secondary. To win in the AFC West you have to be able to stop the pass, and hopefully, guys like Marcus Peters, Jakorian Bennett, and Marcus Epps can be the missing pieces to a successful defensive backfield in 2023.