When Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Malcolm Koonce was drafted in 2021, he was expected to be a developmental prospect. It was going to take time for him to reach his full potential, as he was a smaller-school prospect who played in the MAC for the University of Buffalo.
In his first couple of seasons, Koonce played on special teams while occasionally seeing the field as a pass rusher. In 2023, with the firing of former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, Koonce was thrust into the starting lineup under Antonio Pierce and did not disappoint.
During the second half of the 2023 season, Koonce had 52 pressures and 8 sacks, and he seemed to be forming a dominant tandem with superstar Maxx Crosby. Raider Nation was expecting the two MAC representatives to become the pass-rushing duo that fans had been clamoring for on defense.
Las Vegas Raiders' Malcolm Koonce poised to finally return to pre-ACL tear form
Before the start of the 2024 season, the Raiders' defensive line was receiving all kinds of hype from the media. The potential of that season was called into question when Koonce tore his ACL during practice right before Week 1, sidelining him for the entire campaign.
Heading into last season, Koonce had lowered expectations. He was not a starter right away, and he had to work his way back into the lineup. He displayed flashes in Week 4 vs the Chicago Bears, where, according to PFF, he had five pressures and displayed his trademark bend around the edge.
However, his production started to drastically slow down after that, and his snap count dwindled, as he lost snaps to now-Dallas Cowboy Charles Snowden.
At the end of the year, with Maxx Crosby going on injured reserve, Koonce was able to get more opportunities to display his pass-rushing ability. According to PFF, from Weeks 14-18, Koonce had 15 total pressures, 2 sacks, and a pass-rush win-rate of 17%.
With Rob Leonard becoming the defensive coordinator, Koonce had someone in his corner to bring him back to the Raiders. Leonard has been the defensive line coach since 2023 and surely believes that he can get the best out of the former third-round pick.
With the way he ended the 2025 NFL season, it is possible that Leonard could get Koonce back to his prime form from the latter half of 2023.
If Koonce can have a bounce-back season as well as Adam Butler, the Raiders could have one of the better defensive lines in football. With Crosby playing with a chip on his shoulder after the failed trade, Koonce can create terror and nightmares for opposing quarterbacks.
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