Bounce-Back Candidate: Tanner Muse

Teams across the NFL have players who will be looking to rebound from sub-par seasons, and the Las Vegas Raiders are no exception.

The Silver and Black have several players who are looking to re-solidify themselves after struggling in 2020.

In an ideal world, linebacker Tanner Muse would have been able to provide valuable versatility to the Raiders defense. 

The former national champion with the Clemson Tigers never had that chance as a rookie in 2020.

After being drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Muse never played last season after sustaining a toe injury. 

It was just one of the many things that went wrong for a Raiders defense that finished as the third-worst scoring defense in the league last year.

We obviously don't know how much Muse's presence would have affected that, but it's hard to believe it would've been worse, if not better. 

That's why seeing him come back from injury will be an interesting subplot for Raiders fans to monitor as we get closer to the start of the season. 

Muse was a key defensive starter for a championship-level Clemson defense when he originally was a safety. 

He had the second-most interceptions in the ACC during his senior season in 2019, finishing with four. 

Muse has shown the ability to be a disruptor on defense, although fighting for playing time got a little harder this offseason. 

Last year's starters at linebacker--Nicholas Morrow, Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski--all return, and other young players such as Javin White and Divine Deablo will be competing as well. 

Muse, though, should have equal opportunity to make his impression felt in a new defensive scheme.