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The Las Vegas Raiders defense is playing its best football of the season after giving up 18 combined points over the last two games. The Raiders have the second-cheapest defense in the NFL, per Spotrac, so the group is overachieving.
However, the team could still upgrade in the secondary. In a post about players the Raiders “must cut” after the 2023 season, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes the team should move on from starting safety Marcus Epps.
“Epps has an identical PFF grade to last season at just 56.6. Through 10 games, Epps has just one pass defended and no interceptions,” Ballentine wrote in a November 15 column.
“Much of Epps’ $7.3 million cap hit is not guaranteed. The Raiders would save $3.4 million by releasing him this offseason. With a new general manager taking over and looking to bring in his own free agents, that might be too good to pass up.”
Epps was signed for a two-year, $12 million contract by former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler last offseason. He’s developed into a team leader and was named a team captain. However, he has yet to make an impact in coverage and has one pass deflected and no interceptions this season.
Whoever the next general manager and head coach is may prefer a safety that brings more to coverage.
Las Vegas Raiders Defense Faces Biggest Test of Season
The Raiders defense is playing well but their last two games were against the New York Giants and Jets, which both have bottom-four offenses in terms of yards per game and points per game this season. Things are about to get much tougher with the team heading to Miami to play the Dolphins.
The Dolphins’ offense is averaging 435.3 yards per game and 31.7 points per game, which are both the best in the NFL. This will be the best offense the Raiders have faced this season. It’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to keep from Miami from scoring a touchdown like they did against the Jets but this is a great test to see if the defense is truly improved.
If the Raiders’ defense can bend without breaking against the Dolphins, that would be proof that the group has actually improved under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.
Bradley Chubb Looking Forward to Playing Aidan O’Connell
While the Dolphins offense is elite, their defense isn’t playing to the same level. The group is allowing 25.0 points per game, which is the seventh-most in the NFL. However, defensive end Bradley Chubb thinks the defense can have success against Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
“You still want to play within the defense,” Chubb said on November 15, via MiamiDolphins.com. “You know he’s going to have a great plan for it, so I’m just doing my piece in this defense. Yeah, you want to get after him, and yeah, you want to make him uncomfortable, but it’s going to come.
“It’s going to be one of those things that you just got to let the game to you and not try to go out there and force it,” Chubb added. It’s a rookie quarterback, so you’re going to be licking the chops a little bit, but he’s still a great player. He’s still got great guys around him, so you can’t really do too much. You just got to do whatever the defense allows you.”
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