Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby is entering his fifth NFL season, and he could be in line for the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Move over Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Sauce Gardner and others because this could be the year a Las Vegas Raiders player wins Defensive Player of the Year. Maxx Crosby is ready to kick down the walls that are holding him back and be universally known as the next NFL's face of the league like Patrick Mahomes is on the offensive side of the ball.,
He is in his prime and is the undeniable leader of the Raiders defense, and along with Davante Adams, the duo are the two most recognizable members of the team today.
Crosby burst onto the scene in 2019 by making people forget about Khalil Mack pretty aggressively. He was Mike Mayock's signature pick for as long as he was the general manager. The new regime put their faith in him and rewarded him with a deal that he richly deserved. Crosby has proved that he belongs in an atmosphere all to his own.
Raiders star DE Maxx Crosby the NFL's DPOY in 2023?
Crosby is now poised to take the next natural step in the process and that is to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. He has some stiff competition to deal with as mentioned above, however. Bosa is the returning winner and Gardner is the reigning rookie of the year. On the other hand, Bosa has a new coordinator to scheme with and Gardner has to avoid the sophomore slump like so many others who have come before him.
Crosby has the same coordinator and another edge rusher to join him in Las Vegas after coming off a 12.5 sack season. He's been lucky enough to say he's stayed healthy for his whole career so far and has been able to avoid any serious injuries. The Condor is not afraid of the severe cold either, and he's an All-Pro in every sense of the word.
His favorite opponent to sack is Denver. He's gobbled up Denver's quarterbacks 11.5 times in four seasons. It has helped the Raiders beat the Broncos six straight and seven of eight in his young tenure. The Broncos went out and signed Mike McGlinchey to help solve the problem of Crosby and protect Russell Wilson for now.
With Tyree Wilson in the fold, Chandler Jones in his second stint in he Silver and Black, Crosby shouldn't get double-teamed as much. He doesn't have to face Orlando Brown twice a year, who signed with Cincinnati in free agency too.
Having all three quarterback killers on the field at the same time would be a dream for Patrick Graham, but the likelihood of that happening seems far-fetched. It sure would heighten the chances of number 98 bringing home the trophy next winter though.