The Las Vegas Raiders were dealt a rather massive blow shortly before the start of the 2024 NFL season, as edge rusher Malcolm Koonce suffered a torn ACL, knocking him out for the year.
Not only did the Raiders miss him during the regular season, but it also may have represented Koonce's last down in Las Vegas.
The 26-year-old is set to hit free agency this offseason, and even coming off of a major injury, he will surely draw plenty of interest on the open market.
As a matter of fact, Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus has named the rival Los Angeles Chargers as one of the top potential fits for Koonce next month.
"With Khalil Mack slated to cash in as one of PFF’s top-five free agents this offseason and Joey Bosa potentially becoming a cap casualty after struggling with injuries and on-field production in 2024, Los Angeles will certainly be in the market for a young pass-rusher to build this unit around," Cameron wrote. "The 26-year-old Koonce could create a solid tandem with Tuli Tuipulotu — the team’s second-round pick in 2024 — and would save the team significant cap space to attack other glaring needs."
Koonce was very impressive in 2023, racking up 43 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles an 17 quarterback hits while playing every game.
The Peekskill, N.Y. native, who played his collegiate football at Buffalo, was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Koonce barely played over his first couple of seasons before breaking out in Year 3, when he posted an impressive 78.9 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus.
The good news is that Las Vegas is loaded with cap space, so it can absolutely re-sign Koonce if it so pleases. The question is whether or not the Raiders trust handing him a lucrative deal after his major knee injury.
Las Vegas may not have much of a choice, as it is very thin on pass rushers outside of Maxx Crosby. Of course, the Raiders can always turn to other free agents, but it may prefer to go with the more familiar commodity in Koonce so long as his medicals check out.
There is also the chance that Las Vegas pursues a trade for Myles Garrett, but that is probably not incredibly realistic.
