The Las Vegas' Raiders defense was crushed by injuries last season.
They were missing star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for most of the season. But they didn't even have Malcolm Koonce at all.
He tore his ACL in practice three days before Week 1 and had to miss the entire season.
Now that Koonce is back on a $10 million deal ($5 million base, $5 million bonus), he'll try to pick up where he left off.
Pro Football Focus writes that Koonce is one of five key players back across the NFL after missing all of 2024. Here's PFF's logic:
Koonce suffered a torn ACL in practice just three days before the Raiders’ 2024 season opener, sidelining him for the entire year. His absence was felt, as the Raiders finished 27th in the NFL in pass-rush grade at 64.1.
A former third-round pick out of Buffalo, Koonce played sparingly in his first two seasons, logging only 116 snaps combined in 2021 and 2022. But he broke out in 2023, earning an 81.3 PFF grade that ranked 22nd among 112 qualifying edge defenders. He was a difference-maker down the stretch, racking up 38 pressures and eight sacks in the second half of the season.
If Koonce and Christian Wilkins (who also missed most of last year) return to full health, the Raiders’ defensive line could be one of the league’s most improved units in 2025.
The Raiders have a lot of new.
QB Geno Smith is new, as is RB Ashton Jeanty. They're led by a new head coach, Pete Carroll.
But defensively, their best chance of success is to have these familiar faces actually back out on the field making plays. Koonce can be a big part of that.
