Who Raiders Turn to After Keyron Crawford Injury

With the loss of Crawford, the Raiders are a bit thinner at defensive end. His absence will now require some of the team’s depth rushers to do a little bit more. 

Let’s break down why these players are much more important and how they can shoulder some of the load Crawford leaves behind. 

Kwity Paye Can Make His Money

The Raiders gave Paye a big contract during free agency, and they’ll now need him to earn every penny. We have previously highlighted Paye as an important player for this team, and his significance has only grown since. 

Paye is an explosive, physical defensive end who is a much better run defender than pass rusher, but the Raiders need his services on passing downs much more now. He has had solid moments as a pass rusher, but has not been consistent during his time in the league. 

Defensive Coordinator Rob Leonard will have to get creative when deploying Paye, whom the Raiders need to put it all together this season. If he does, he elevates the team’s defensive ceiling. 

Malcolm Koonce Is Still Around 

Koonce may not reach the ceiling that fans thought he might have a few years ago, but he is still a quality depth piece nonetheless. 

He has more pass-rush juice than Paye, but Paye is the better down-to-down player. The Raiders are moving to a 3-4 base defense, too, so Koonce may show his skill set in a new way, one that might unlock another level in him. 

Koonce is on a one-year deal, but the team needs him to take the next step as a defender. If he can play at a high level and consistently pressure the quarterback, he may earn a multi-year deal somewhere.

Is Patrick Johnson Ready?

The Raiders kept Johnson on the 53-man roster due to his impressive preseason and Crawford’s injury, and he has now become even more important. 

Johnson has only one career sack, and it came last season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. He has ideal outside linebacker size at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, so the Raiders should have no issue deploying the former Tulane star. 

However, his effectiveness will be tested against true NFL offensive linemen. The Raiders hope his preseason play can translate to the real thing.