The Las Vegas Raiders have largely struggled in recent seasons, but the lone bright spot has been the defensive line. Maxx Crosby is the obvious anchor, but defensive line coach Rob Leonard has been able to churn the most out of several unexpected players in the group.
Malcolm Koonce's career looked dead in the water until he and Leonard began working together in 2023, and Tyree Wilson also looks ready to break out in Year 3. Others, like Adam Butler, had career revivals under his tutelage, and several young players are on the cusp of breaking through as well.
Given that the Raiders need more depth on the edge to help out Crosby, Koonce and Wilson, general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll scoured the waiver wire. They ended up claiming former LA Rams edge rusher Brennan Jackson, who was awarded to the Raiders on Wednesday.
Raiders claim former Rams EDGE Brennan Jackson on waiver wire
Jackson was a fifth-round pick by the Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played in seven games last year, starting one, and recorded three tackles and a pass defended. Jackson played just 47 defensive snaps and 56 on special teams.
At 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds with 32 and 3/4-inch arms, however, it is easy to see why Carroll and Spytek wanted to take a chance on him. He has high-end upside that Leonard and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham can certainly help him tap into.
He is not necessarily a defensive end like Crosby, Koonce or Wilson, but he is more of an EDGE like T.J. Watt or Micah Parsons, in terms of his alignment. Jackson also proved this preseason that he can slide into the slot on occasion as well, playing two snaps there.
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Another important aspect of his game is that he can play on every single facet of special teams. Just this preseason, he was on both the kick return and kickoff coverage teams, the punt return and punt coverage squads and the field goal kicking and blocking units.
Jackson is unlikely to play a major role on defense unless things go wildly sideways in Las Vegas, but he should be a core special teamer for the Raiders, which they did not necessarily have in Charles Snowden.
This was the only claim that the Raiders made on the waiver wire. In other good news, none of Las Vegas' young players were claimed by any other NFL teams, so they should get a good portion of them back on the practice squad.