Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to have a ferocious pass rush led by Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby. However, the interior pass rush may leave a lot to be desired. Bilal Nichols is the only defensive tackle on the active roster who had a sack last season.
The Raiders may be relying too heavily on Crosby and Jones to create pressure. Luckily, there’s still a player in free agency who could help the team. Ndamukong Suh has been linked to Las Vegas for months since he tweeted out potential interest in the team. The Raiders have shown interest in him but don’t want to pay him the $9 million a year salary he’s looking for, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Perhaps giving Suh a multi-year deal at a smaller annual salary would appeal to both sides. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that the Raiders need to sign the five-time Pro Bowler and believes that a two-year, $15.5 million offer would be enough to get a deal done:
The Raiders made a big defensive acquisition when they signed Chandler Jones in free agency. He and Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby figure to be one of the top pass-rushing tandems in the entire conference.
However, the Raiders defense lacks two big things up front. It doesn’t have a true difference-making defensive tackle, and there is questionable edge depth after Jones and Crosby.
Signing Ndamukong Suh could help solve the first issue.
Raiders Have 2nd Most Cap Space in NFL
The decision to not sign Suh yet has nothing to do with salary cap space. The Raiders have plenty of money available to afford the defensive lineman. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Las Vegas have the second most salary cap space in the NFL with almost $16.2 million.
As the NFL regular season begins, a look at how much cap space each team officially has, from the Browns to the Falcons.
The Raiders could be saving money for flexibility during the season but $16.2 million is a lot of money. There’s been talk about the team giving Darren Waller a new contract but that shouldn’t have big ramifications on the salary cap for this season. Las Vegas will eventually spend that money but it remains to be seen how they plan to use it.
Maxx Crosby Defensive Player of the Year Candidate?
Regardless of if the Raiders sign Suh or not, Maxx Crosby is the team’s most important defensive player. He’s the highest-paid player on the defense and is coming off a year where he was named Second-Team All-Pro. He’s not letting the success or money get to his head. Crosby has been unblockable in training camp and could emerge as one of the best defensive players in the NFL this season.
Kyle Brandt of NFL Network went so far as to predict that Crosby will be the league’s Defensive Player of the Year this year.
.@KyleBrandt‘s pick to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year?
“I think this is the year he becomes a household name.”
It’s not farfetched to believe that Crosby will have a huge year. He’s been working hard and now has an elite running mate in Chandler Jones to help take some attention off of him. Plus, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham should put Crosby in the best position to succeed. He could be in for a very special season.