The Las Vegas Raiders had a closed-door dispute with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins this offseason. The $110 million man ended up burning his bridge with the organization and was shockingly released in mid-July.
This left what many thought was a gaping hole in Las Vegas' defensive tackle room. But the Raiders clearly felt comfortable enough with veterans Adam Butler and Leki Fotu, trading for Thomas Booker IV, and emerging young players like Jonah Laulu and rookies Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Pegues.
Through the first four weeks of the 2025 NFL season, however, this experiment has largely failed. The defensive tackle group has struggled to make a consistent impact outside of a few splash plays, and things won't be any easier in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Raiders' defensive tackle group is up against it once again in Week 5
While Laulu's three total sacks and Booker's forced fumble in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders have all been big momentum shifts for the Raiders, the overall grades when it comes to this group leave plenty to be desired.
According to Pro Football Focus, not a single defensive tackle on the Raiders has even an average grade of 60.0. Butler sits at a 59.4, Pegues landed a 58.2 mark in his debut last week, Booker has a score of 57.0, Laulu has managed a 56.1, and Fotu remains at 53.7 after being inactive in Week 4.
While PFF grades do not tell the whole story, anyone who has watched the Raiders' defense this season knows that the defensive tackle group, as a whole, is not necessarily jumping off the screen. Unfortunately, they have another formidable interior offensive line to face in Week 5.
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The Colts' starting center, Tanor Bortolini, has thrived in his second NFL season, earning a PFF grade of 67.6 and an elite run-blocking mark of 72.5. Their starting guard tandem of perennial All-Pro Quenton Nelson and Matt Goncalves has earned 72.3 and 66.9 overall scores, respectively.
Last week, Dalton Tucker started at right guard in place of an injured Goncalves, and he was an utter disaster. His 32.5 overall mark was the worst on the Indianapolis offense, and his 10.7 pass-blocking grade was embarrassingly bad. But all signs point toward Goncalves being available on Sunday.
Maxx Crosby's elite play on the edge has masked a lot of the Raiders' defensive issues this season, but the team cannot rely on him alone to wreak havoc. This defensive tackle group needs to find someone who will step up, but it won't come easily against a strong Colts interior offensive line.