Whereas the rest of the Las Vegas Raiders defense will consist of new faces, the defensive line is looking as though it will stay largely the same.
With the same defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham and defensive line coach in Rob Leonard, this should not come as a major surprise. Superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby’s extension was just the first domino to fall. Over the offseason, the Raiders have also re-signed Adam Butler and Malcolm Koonce to continue giving the team a boost in the trenches.
On Tuesday, the Raiders decided to run it back with another familiar face.
Defensive tackle Zach Carter is returning to the Raiders in 2025.
According to a team announcement, the Raiders are bringing back the defensive tackle.
A third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022, Carter struggled to find his footing at the NFL level.
This prompted the Bengals to waive him midway through the 2024 season, after which he joined the Raiders on their practice squad. Injuries to the defensive line lifted Carter up to the active roster from Week 8 onwards. In 2024 between Cincinnati and Las Vegas, Carter posted 22 tackles, one and a half sacks and two quarterback hits in 12 games.
What convinced the new regime of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek to bring Carter back was his strong finish to the 2024 season.
Carter put up four combined tackles in the Raiders’ Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. In the season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, he followed that up with five combined tackles. If Carter continues to build on that momentum, he can finally showcase the potential he had coming into the league out of the University of Florida.
The Raiders have a clear plan of attack for the defensive line, and Carter has found a way to work himself into that plan.
