The Las Vegas Raiders have certainly been among the biggest winners of the first day of the legal tampering period. After bringing back Eric Stokes, the team made a splash addition by signing Tyler Linderbaum before signing Jalen Nailor.
General manager John Spytek has since turned his attention to the defense, with the additions of Kwity Paye, Nakobe Dean, and Quay Walker. The latest move involved retaining their longest tenured defender, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $11 million contract with Malcolm Koonce.
While Las Vegas agreed to trade Maxx Crosby on Friday, it is clear that Spytek is focused on giving Leonard as much talent as he can to work with in his first year as defensive coordinator. Koonce, who is another year removed from tearing his ACL, should have a better season than he had in 2025.
Raiders re-sign Malcolm Koonce to bolster their pass rush
Only Crosby finished the 2025 season with more than Koonce's 4.5 sacks. While the five-time Pro Bowler will not be back next season, the third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft will look to replace some of the production lost by his departure.
Koonce, of course, had a career-high 8.0 sacks in 2023 before tearing his ACL ahead of the 2024 season. He returned last year and came alive in the latter half of the season. Now that he is more than a year removed from the injury, his production should continue to increase in a new-look defense.