When a veteran inks a lucrative free agent contract, the expectation is that they'll have an immediate impact, starting in training camp. But Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Kwity Paye hasn't exactly been the talk of the town during the Silver and Black's late-summer prep for the 2026 NFL season.
After inking a three-year, $48 million deal in March, the biggest storyline about Paye thus far was an injury scare that held him out of a few practices. And while the Raiders seem to have big plans for the 27-year-old defender heading into his sixth season, they haven't really materialized just yet.
Well, that is, until Las Vegas' joint practice with the Houston Texans ahead of their second preseason game. All of a sudden, Paye was a madman for Rob Leonard's unit and made life difficult for his old AFC South nemesis. Finally, the Raiders are seeing some ROI for this big pact. Hopefully, it continues.
Raiders DL Kwity Paye showed up big at joint practice with Texans
Before Tuesday's joint session, all that the fanbase heard about Paye was the aforementioned injury and that he has been starting on the defensive line throughout camp and is a versatile piece for Leonard's front. At an average annual price tag of $16 million, I would sure hope so.
Other than that, though, it has been crickets on the Paye front. And his quiet performance in the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, in which he played 11 defensive snaps and had an unremarkable showing, not even appearing in the box score, certainly didn't help the narrative.
But a different version of Paye traveled down to Houston earlier this week, and hopefully, he continues to make the trip from here on out. According to multiple reports, Paye was wreaking havoc on the Texans' starting offensive tackles, sacking quarterback CJ Stroud twice in one series.
Throughout the day, Paye put pressure on Stroud and the offensive line, which allowed his teammates on the interior to get more push as well. This is the kind of cohesion and "rising tide that lifts all boats" mentality that the Silver and Black need on their defensive front.
Now, having Maxx Crosby back by his side makes things a lot easier for him. If all goes right, though, Paye will be rushing alongside Crosby all year, and if he is thriving by playing the cards that he is dealt, then that is tremendous and certainly beats the alternative.
Houston is an elite team, pretty much from top to bottom, so getting great work in against them really carries a lot of weight. Coach Klint Kubiak was non-committal about playing starters in Thursday's preseason game, but the next time fans see Paye on the field, they'll need to see him play this way.
Crosby has sorely lacked a legit running mate for most of his career, and with the investment that the Raiders made in Paye, the former Indianapolis Colt needs to live up to his billing. After a quiet camp, he seems to be making progress on that front at the perfect time, with Week 1 just around the corner.
Let's hope that Houston Kwity Paye is a staple on the Las Vegas defense in 2026.
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