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Not a lot went right for the Las Vegas Raiders defense in 2022 outside of Maxx Crosby. The fourth-year defensive end had a breakout year in 2021 and only improved his game in 2022. He had a career in sacks (12.5) and tackles (89) while leading the NFL in tackles for the loss with 22.
Despite the Raiders missing the playoffs, Crosby was considered a shoo-in to make an All-Pro team. However, that’s not the case, according to the Associated Press. The outlet revealed that San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons were named to the First-Team as edge rushers. That’s no surprise as both had great seasons on teams headed to the playoffs.
The Associated Press also revealed that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick were the Second-Team All-Pro selections for edge rushers. Crosby only narrowly missed the cut.
For his part, Crosby wasn’t thrilled. After the news was revealed, he could only tweet out the word “wow.”
Raiders teammate Davnate Adams, who was named First-Team as a wide receiver, was much more vocal about Crosby’s snub. Adams came out and said that “somebody needs to be held accountable” for the omission.
Did Maxx Crosby Deserve a Selection?
The biggest problem that worked against Crosby is that he didn’t have as many sacks as the four players picked ahead of him. Bosa, Reddick, Garrett and Parsons all finished the season with more. However, there’s a lot more to being an edge rusher than just sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, Crosby had 46 pressures, which was better than Garrett, tied with Reddick and less than Bosa and Parsons.
His 13 quarterbacks hits were tied for second in the NFL behind Bosa. He also had 11 more tackles for loss than Reddick. While it’s up for argument whether Crosby was the better pass rusher this season than the other four players, there’s no question he was better in the run game. He has a higher run defense grade from PFF than the other four players and led all edge rushers in run stops in 2022. It’s also important to take into account who he’s playing with. Reddick is playing with two other edge defenders who are ranked in the top seven by PFF in Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat. The next best edge rusher on the Raiders was Chandler Jones, who is ranked 68th by PFF. It’s a lot easier to get sacks when there are other players on the defensive line who can create pressure.
There’s an argument that Garrett, Bosa and Parsons deserve slots over Crosby but there’s no reason why Reddick should be ahead of him outside of his sack total. When it comes to almost every other metric, Crosby had the better season.
3 Raiders Named 1st-Team All-Pro
While it’s a disappointing day for Crosby, it’s a great day for three others Raiders. Adams, running back Josh Jacobs and kicker Daniel Carlson were all named First-Team All-Pro. This is Carlson and Jacobs’ first time making an All-Pro time while this is the third year in a row for Adams.
Only the Chiefs and 49ers had more players selected to the First-Team this season than the Raiders. Unfortunately, those two teams are in the playoffs while the Raiders are back at home.
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