An unfortunate piece of news broke from the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday: DE Malcolm Koonce will miss the entire 2024 season with a knee injury.
This report is devastating for Koonce, the entire Raiders team, and all of Raider Nation.
Koonce was poised for a breakout year in 2024 after enduring an up-and-down tenure with the Raiders, but under Antonio Pierce, he was playing the best football of his career.
That's what was so exciting about him this year: that he was about to put the league on notice, and really only Raider fans knew it. He was destined to break out after an incredible finish to the 2023 campaign where he recorded 8.0 sacks in nine games, but the universe had other plans.
His success, in part, was responsible for the hiring of Pierce. Multiple players turned the corner and put out incredible tape together over the final nine games, and it certainly gave Mark Davis something to hang his hat on.
The team will take some time to digest this news, as Koonce was an integral piece of the Raiders culture under Pierce, but they have a game to play on Sunday. These guys are professionals, and they know how quickly a season can be taken away from somebody. Hopefully, they play even harder with their sidelined teammate in mind.
The void left by Koonce's injury is immense, and Tom Telesco and Co. will need to do some searching if they want to find a viable replacement.
There are some developing internal options like 2023 seventh overall pick Tyree Wilson, and Janarius Robinson, who has flashed at times. Charles Snowden had his moments in the preseason, and K'Lavon Chaisson also signed recently but is yet to leave his imprint on the Raiders. One of these players stepping
It's unknown to the public, for the most part, who could be available for a trade. However, there are a few names out there that could make sense for the Silver and Black. Let's explore those.
Potential replacement options for Malcolm Koonce:
It has been well documented all offseason that Hassan Reddick is unwilling to cooperate with the New York Jets, so he could be available via trade. The Jets will likely hold him for a king's ransom because he is just a luxury to them, and having him on the team in his current state is not costing them any money or production.
A trade with the Jets feels like bad news for Raiders fans because they associate Davante Adams with any trade involving New York. But given his current production, I imagine Adams will want to stay a Raider and avoid any trade talks. This means that a trade for Reddick likely involves picks.
This could be a good option, although it will cost both picks and a hefty chunk of cap space. There may be a few band-aid fixes for this year while the team waits for one of their currently rostered players to step up, or for Koonce to recuperate.
A familiar name to add to the mix would be Yannick Ngakoue, who played for Las Vegas in 2021 alongside Maxx Crosby. He had the second best season of his career with the Raiders that year, but was traded for Rock Ya-Sin after the team added Chandler Jones.
He would be a cheap signing at this stage in his career, and would be beneficial if he has anything left in the tank.
Veterans Shaq Lawson and Randy Gregory are both available, but neither of them seems better than the players that Las Vegas currently has on the roster.
The bottom line is that the Raiders need to be better at getting to the quarterback. They only have 3.0 sacks through the first two weeks, and all of them are from one player: Maxx Crosby.
Whoever it may be, somebody needs to step up and join the party in the backfield with Crosby.