Safety Marcus Epps' Leadership Invaluable to Raiders

After last season ended, the Las Vegas Raiders insisted on improving their defense. 

The Raiders made a slew of additions to the defense via free agency and the NFL Draft, expecting their defense to improve this season. 

Las Vegas has certainly improved on that side of the ball, as the Raiders' defense ranks ninth in the NFL in points allowed per game. 

Arguably, one of their most significant additions was veteran safety Marcus Epps, who joined Las Vegas after having the best season of his career last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

"It's interesting," Interim Coach Antonio Pierce said. "So, I was at Long Beach Poly High as the head coach when he was in high school, so I'm familiar with Marcus. My son was at Boise State and played against Marcus when he was at Wyoming, so I followed Marcus.

"And then, obviously, I saw him when he was with the Eagles. There's a good relationship there. I mean, we had a lot of side conversations before this even took place.

"He's a guy who has really come in and brought that mature and winnung leadership mentality into our room, into our defense, and really our whole locker room. I mean, you appreciate the maturity that he has, the professionalism that he has, and how he approaches each and every day."