The Las Vegas Raiders, after a 3-0 start to the season, just dropped three games in a row. While it took a team effort to win the three games, the losses mostly fall on the defense. As a result, the onus remains up front. Pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye have done their jobs to a certain extent. However, any competent front needs active players up front who can generate pressure and stop the run.
Las Vegas played three down linemen with Crosby and Paye in a two- and three-point stance. One of the ends in the three-man set hasn’t lived up to expectations. Jonah Laulu appears to have a limited ceiling. As a result, a player like Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Moro Ojomo could be the perfect fit via trade.
The Athletic believes Ojomo could become available and explains why.
“Ojomo is in the final year of his rookie deal. The Eagles are on a downward trajectory. They have also given large extensions to two interior defenders in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Ojomo, like Milton Williams in 2025, is likely headed to free agency if he is not traded. It is difficult to allocate three sizable veteran contracts to one position group.”
#Eagles DT Moro Ojomo is going to get $100 million-plus next spring https://t.co/RHzxzK0L1x
— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) September 21, 2026
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The Need
In essence, teams can strictly gameplan for the boundary rushers to generate pressure, with little concern for the interior. Hemingway flashes excellence but is still inconsistent. Ojomo provides pocket collapse, forcing the quarterback to veer towards the outside. Ojomo can make life so much easier for the edge rushers and, by extension, the secondary. The vertical routes that plagued the Raiders for nearly a month would be less effective because the quarterback would be pressured to hurry and escape the line of fire.
The Eagles lineman can penetrate either the A or B gap, gaining an easy first-step advantage of the blocker and knifing through to wreck the game plan. Either team will block him, get beat, or need to hold. Right now, opponents do not respect the Vegas interior, running with abandon, as the 152.3 yards per game they’ve surrendered in the last three games would attest.
Hell of a rep from Moro Ojomo against a heck of a young guard in Peter Skoronski.
Whew. https://t.co/4PMBMUCbox
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) September 20, 2026
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The Cost
Normally, bringing in an ascending 25-year-old defensive lineman would cost the Raiders a significant haul of draft capital. Yet, Ojomo is still playing under his rookie deal until the end of the year. The Raiders can offer him a significant pay bump without sending high draft picks. Instead, a mid-round pick can be the trade currency. If Ojomo tests free agency, the Raiders could receive a draft pick, depending on how many departures the team suffers.
The Eagles are in a state of complete freefall, facing adversity on multiple fronts. Their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, will miss the season with blood clots. Worse, the way the team handled the situation drew heavy criticism and condemnation. On the field, for all intents and purposes, the season looks done for the Eagles. Star right tackle Lane Johnson abruptly retired. Starting center Cam Jurgens is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Ojomo will not be the missing piece of the Raiders’ defense. However, what he could do is provide interior playmaking and disruption, something that the team sorely lacks, making the rest of the defense much better.
Raiders Urged to Steal Eagles’ Defender in Midseason Trade