The Las Vegas Raiders' defense has been a figurative black hole for more than two decades. In the 23 seasons since reaching the Super Bowl in 2002, the unit has just one finish in the top half of the league in scoring, when they ranked ninth in 2023.
While they have employed one of the league's top defenders, Maxx Crosby, for the past seven years, six of those seasons resulted in a bottom-nine finish or worse. The unit appeared to take a huge hit less than a week ago, as it was reported that Las Vegas was trading Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens.
Instead, that deal was called off, with the Raiders using the opening day of free agency to bolster the defense with several key additions. Two of the incoming members, Kwity Paye and Quay Walker, spoke with the media after their deals became official on Thursday.
And they seem very excited about first-year defensive coordinator Rob Leonard's new-look group.
Raiders' FA share their thoughts on Rob Leonard's defense
The Raiders pulled off a massive haul in free agency. While Tyler Linderbaum was the biggest signing, improving the defense was a clear focus of the front office. In addition to re-signing Eric Stokes and Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas traded for Taron Johnson, while signing Paye, Walker, and Nakobe Dean.
Paye and Walker were among the newest Raiders to meet with the media during a press conference on Thursday. The latter shared his thoughts on partnering with Dean, his former college teammate at Georgia, in Leonard's new 3-4 defensive scheme.
"I'm really excited to do that because I've played with him before, as we all know, so it's just another opportunity for us to go out there and showcase our talent. Just to bring the type of energy and intensity to the defense, and just add to it," Walker said. "Bring a whole lot of grit that the other guys can feed up on, and hopefully they can match our energy, which I know they will. I know Rob's going to use us in the right way, and set us up for success."
He then discussed how his skillset will fit in the scheme.
"It will fit perfectly. I had a talk with him last night at dinner. I'm not going to say everything, but I know he's going to use me the right way," Walker revealed. "Lining me up in different positions and just moving me all around so other teams can't really recognize what I'm going to do. I just think he's really going to bring out my skillset because I think he quite understands me."
Paye discussed lining up opposite Crosby, who expressed his commitment to the organization earlier in the day.
"It's going to be crazy, man. I'm just seeing him pursue, and just his relentless pursuit throughout the down. Just being able to play with him, and get after it," Paye told reporters. "I played with Jonah (Laulu) in Indy for a little bit, and just playing with some ballers, it'll be great."
He later discussed how he fits into the defensive scheme.
"I'm athletic enough to play anywhere on the line, so anywhere these guys need me, I'm going to go out there and play," Paye explained. "Playing opposite of Maxx is going to be great, and just anywhere they need me."
Walker revealed that he and Dean, who he roomed with in college and has spent time with every offseason since entering the NFL, had conversations ahead of their free agency.
"Towards the end of the season, me and him had talks that it was a possibility that he wasn't going to go back to Philly, and it probably was the same with me going back to Green Bay. I knew I was in talks with them, but, honestly, at the end of the season, we just talked about the possibility of me and him playing together, and how we would love to do that," Walker admitted. "Honestly, man, the day of, I was texting him the whole day, actually talking to him the whole day, and I kind of told him my whole situation where I was headed. Five minutes later, he said the same thing, and we ended up here. So, big thanks to Spy[tek] for that, for sure."
He added that he also spoke to Stokes, another one of his college teammates with the Georgia Bulldogs, who re-signed with the Raiders on Monday as well.
"I reached out to him. I talked to him pretty much throughout the whole process," Walker said. "Probably like two weeks before the news came up, I talked to him, and pretty much just got a lot of feedback from him about Vegas and everything, and what I can bring here. It was a whole lot that I talked to him about. Of course, I talked to him one-on-one and he gave me a lot of feedback on everything."
Paye later noted that he believes he can reach a new level in Las Vegas.
"Being able to come here with a fresh start, I already spoke with (defensive line) coach (Travis) Smith, and just being able to go out there and play free and be myself," Paye expressed. "Playing with Indy was great, but there was definitely a part of me that felt like I can do more and I have the opportunity to do so here."
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Walker noted that he believes in general manager John Spytek's vision before revealing why he is excited to play alongside Crosby.
"Having him and Kwity, the ball is probably going to come out fast, so that kind of helps us on the back end. I'll say versus the run, as well. Those are two guys that can do a lot, especially with him. His athleticism, there's so much that he can do, and the intensity that he plays with," Walker said. "I just love his play style and I can't wait to play alongside him and, honestly, just to match his energy day in and day out. I think Maxx Crosby, his name and his play speaks for itself... I talked to him yesterday as soon as I landed. He shot me a text. I've talked to him a few times since I've been here."
Walker later met with Raiders.com's Paul Gutierrez, where he elaborated on his fit in Leonard's 3-4 scheme.
"The 3-4 scheme, that's something that I've already played in when being at UGA. Not only that, I think Rob will use me the right way, whether that's at Mike, Will, as a Sam, whatever the case may be. I just think he's going to use me the right way and he can line me up in different places just by how athletic I am," Walker detailed. "There's so much that I can do and teams can't really recognize. Well, if he's here, he's going to do this. If he's in the boundary or the field, he's probably going to blitz. So, whatever the case may be, it's just so much that you can do with me and I think Rob is going to set me up for success in the right way."
He added that he knows Leonard and the defensive coordinator played a role in his choosing Las Vegas.
"It played a lot because I just know his intensity and what he brings day in and day out. I'm not going to say I observed him already, but I got some feedback from Stokes. I reached out to him, got a lot of feedback from him, and he reminds me of an old coach of mine that he's pretty much friends with who's a DC at another place," Walker explained. "But, as the time came, I went out to eat dinner with him yesterday, and just having the conversations and everything like that with him, it was just so much that I pretty much really liked about him, and I can't wait to get to work with him."
He expanded on his bond with Dean and Stokes, as well as Raiders star Brock Bowers, who is obviously on the other side of the ball.
"You've got to talk to Spy about (the reunion)," Walker laughed. "I think Spy's hooking us up, but, yeah, man, it's a tremendous bond that I have with those guys, and hopefully we can bring the culture and the competitive spirit here. Not saying that it's not already here, but just add a little bit more to it and go from there."
Paye also sat down with Gutierrez later, where he revealed that Spytek, who attended his alma mater, the University of Michigan, was aggressive in pursuing him. He later discussed more in detail his fit in a 3-4 defense.
"I played Wide 9 the past couple years, man. I got to play some stand up last year," Paye said. "I'm willing to get out there, just do my thing, and just play some great ball. I played with Jonah Laulu a little bit when he was with the Colts. I was sick that we let him go, but reunited with him and he's a baller."
He elaborated on that answer later in the interview.
"I'm willing to adapt with anything that they throw me out there with. I could play every position on the D-line, so whatever they need from me, I'm out there. I'm willing to do whatever I can to help this team," He said. "Mike Macdonald actually came to Michigan after I left, and just seeing those boys get after it, watching film on Aidan Hutchinson and (David) Ojabo and stuff like that, I'm like, 'Man, it'd be crazy to play in that defense'. Now, I'm here."
Between both Paye and Walker buying into Leonard's defense, their excitement to play alongside the leader of Las Vegas' defense, and the latter's camaraderie with Dean and Stokes, there is plenty for Raider Nation to look forward to.
Of course, the results on the field will ultimately be what matters; however, both players' comments on their first day in Silver and Black make them easy to get behind. As Walker said when discussing his belief in Spytek's vision, the incoming free agent is looking to turn things around in Las Vegas.
He noted, however, that it is much easier to say that they'll do so than to actually accomplish that goal. Still, Raiders fans should be just as excited as their two newest defenders, as Leonard's unit looks to be trending in the right direction.