Three Veterans Who Can Fix The Raiders' Defense

Nakobe Dean signed a three-year deal with the Raiders this offseason, and he will look to provide smarter linebacker play in Las Vegas.

"The mental part of the game is everything for me," Dean said. "It's not only my great equalizer, but it's my super power."

Dean will also bring a more balanced game to the Raiders linebacker group. Last season, Elandon Roberts provided solid run defense, but struggled in coverage. Jamal Adams was solid in coverage, but failed to produce as a run stopper.

Dean has provided seasons with great coverage numbers and great run-stopping numbers. The only concern has been Dean's lack of consistency.

Last season, he ranked 85th out of 88 linebackers in run defense, according to Pro Football Focus. But the year before he was the 16th best run stopping linebacker. The Raiders are looking for Dean to put it all together in 2026.

Taron Johnson

The Raiders only added one veteran to the secondary by trading for Taron Johnson. The former Bill is bringing versatility to the Las Vegas secondary.

The Raiders are asking Johnson to play as a slot corner and a safety, despite rarely having lined up as a safety in his NFL career. If he can prove to play two positions, his versatility will make the Raiders secondary harder to predict and allow different players to see the field.

Johnson will also look to help the Raiders in one of the biggest problem areas from last season: forcing turnovers. Las Vegas only intercepted eight passes last season.

The Raiders haven't been in the top half of the league in interceptions since 2018. Las Vegas has 97 interceptions over the last decade, the second fewest in the NFL.

Johnson only has six interceptions across his eight-year career, but if he plays more safety, he might have a chance to snag more of the opposition's throws.

Kwity Paye

Kwity Paye joins the Raiders and will be one of the highlights of the new defensive scheme. As Las Vegas transitions to a 3-4 defense, Paye will be lined up opposite Maxx Crosby as an edge rusher. The Raiders need more pressure.

Las Vegas was actually decent at dragging the quarterback to the ground, as they ranked 18th in the NFL with 37 sacks. But the Raiders had the sixth-worst pressure rate in the NFL.

Crosby had a solid season with 10 sacks in 15 games. Essentially if Crosby didn't sack the quarterback, the Raiders pass rush was nonexistent.

Paye had just four sacks last season with the Colts. But over his first four seasons in the NFL, he averaged 7.8 sacks per 17 games played. If the Raiders can get a typical Crosby season and a return to form from Paye, the pass rush will take a huge step forward.