Las Vegas Raiders: 3 defensive players that must bounce back in 2023
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders: 3 defensive players that must bounce back in 2023
- 2. Chandler Jones, DE
The biggest addition on offense last offseason was wide receiver Davante Adams, a player Dave Ziegler sent a first and second-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for. On defense, the biggest addition was defensive end Chandler Jones, a former All-Pro who was supposed to come in and be a perfect teammate for Maxx Crosby coming off the other edge.
Instead, you could hardly even notice Jones was on the field for most of the beginning of the season, and while he turned it on in the second half before his injury, the Raiders need much more from him in 2023. The Raiders went out and drafted Tyree Wilson at pick No. 7 overall this April, so he is going to push for playing time, making Jones bouncing back even more important for the team, and himself.
Jones came into minicamp looking a lot slimmer, and the hope is that can lead to more explosiveness coming off the edge. Once regarded as one of the best edge rushers in the game, Jones is getting up there in age, and it will be interesting to see if Wilson supplants him as the No. 2 edge rusher for the Raiders this season.
In a perfect world, Jones regains some of his Pro Bowl form, and with Crosby, Wilson and him coming off the edge, the Raiders have one of the best pass rushes in the game in 2023.