The entire game of football is centralized around the quarterback. Quarterbacks touch the ball on every single offensive possession. He directs the offense and leads the team down the field in order to score points, the main objective of football. However, not only is the offense centralized on the quarterback, but defenses are now as well. Defensive linemen are the third most coveted position group after quarterbacks and offensive linemen. In order to stop the opposing quarterback, you have to get to him. Something the Oakland Raiders couldn’t figure out how to do.
Oakland Raiders End of Season Evaluation: Defensive Line
MackVP
There isn’t much doubt that Khalil Mack was the league’s best defender this season. Mack was voted as the 2016 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, earned another Pro Bowl bid, and First-Team All-Pro Honors once again. He didn’t replicate the stunning milestone he accomplished last year by becoming the first player to be given First-Team Honors at linebacker and defensive end, but that will be a tough feat to repeat. Although Mack’s sack numbers went down a few pegs, he was a better player than he was a year ago.
Mack produced more impactful plays than he did in 2015. Last season, he played excellent in a few games, and was praised most for being completely unstoppable against the Denver Broncos in Week 14. Five times, Mack brought the opposing quarterback down in that matchup. Mack never had a game like that in 2016, but he did jump out on the screen more. Holding penalties were a common result of Mack’s ferocity on the line, and a there were too many of those calls that were missed.
Mack also jumped up to rank second in forced fumbles and fumbles recovered in the NFL to go along with the 11 sacks and 96 total quarterback pressures he racked up. No one in the league produced even 90 pressures, showing Mack had a comfortable gap between second place. Still considered the best edge run defender in the league, Mack has held that title since he ended his rookie year in 2014.
Khalil Mack’s versatility is unmatched, his run stopping is the best, and now he’s learning how to make impactful plays. While Derek Carr was making clutch plays to bring the Raiders back from deficits, Mack was wreaking havoc and forcing turnovers to help win these games. No matter who was on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Mack drew the strength and sheer will to get to the enemy and cause disruption.
Game ending strip sacks, forced interceptions, pass deflections and a pick-6 of his own on 2015 MVP Cam Newton himself are just a few brief examples of the kinds of results Mack was providing. He’s just the fifth Raiders defensive player to start the first 48 games of his career. He’s durable, versatile, and a monster all over the field. And he did this without a whisper of an interior pass rush; and we will jump right into that.
Everyone Not Named Khalil Mack
To start off, this season would look different defensively if Mario Edwards Jr. had not injured himself. Edwards missed almost the entire season and only played 76 total snaps in the last two games. Interior pass rush might have been the weakest feature of the defense. Giving up big plays looks ugly, and the middle linebackers struggled all over the field, but the interior pass rush was the worst of them.
Whenever the opposing quarterback dropped back to pass, he would feel the pressure on the edges. Mack and his pass rushing partner Bruce Irvin were consistent hassles, but they received almost no help from the interior defensive linemen. Every game, almost every passing down, the middle offensive line of the other team would be completely intact and sturdy, while the tackles struggled with the edges. The weak pass rush inside formed perfect “pockets” for the quarterback to sit in and pick apart the Raiders defense. The quarterback would feel Mack on the edges and as fast and powerful as Mack is, the lack of interior presence left him empty handed more than he should have been.
Breaking down the 96 pressures by Mack this past season, 11 of them were sacks, 11 of them were knockdowns, and the other 74 were hurries. How many of those knockdowns would have been sacks if Mack had just a smidge of an interior force? That force would cause quarterbacks to get edgy, uncomfortable, and frantic and make more bad decisions than they did against the Raiders last year.
There was a lot of rotation and mix up for the defensive line as the Raiders searched for success. Dan Williams, a 2015 free agent pickup, regressed from the previous year. He didn’t provide the strength that the Raiders needed from him in pass rushing, and he was disappointing stuffing the run, since that’s what he’s supposed to do best. He and Justin “Jelly” Ellis were supposed to form a formidable duo inside, but that hasn’t come into fruition. Williams likely will be cut in order to free about $4 million in cap space and he will have to find someone else to give him a shot.
The Raiders also played a young defensive tackle by the name of Jihad Ward extensively. Ward saw the most snaps of any Raider defensive tackle and the third most snaps on the defensive line, behind defensive end Denico Autry and of course, Khalil Mack. Potential oozes from Ward, but he’s very inexperienced at his position. Learning the position, especially in the NFL is extremely difficult and it’s understandable that Ward didn’t play excellent football in his first season. The rookie from the University of Illinois is valuable because of the versatility to play the end and tackle spots he has shown. He’s 6’5”, 300 pounds and uber athletic. Once he learns the game he can be a force, but he needs to learn quickly.
The Other Other Guys
Darius Lathum and Stacy McGee were the two other defensive linemen that some extensive playing time for the Raiders. Neither one was truly impressive, but Stacy McGee was literally the only defensive tackle to show some real flash of playmaking. He started all nine of the games he appeared in, but injuries kept him from playing more. 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles aren’t gaudy numbers, but they are career highs for McGee and a good start for what the Raiders need.
Overall, other than Mack, the Raiders defensive line was one of the worst in the league. The Raiders should plan on making an addition or two to create competition for extensive roles that will be open to claim this offseason. Injuries and poor play has distributed too many questions around the defensive line, meaning Mack is the only secure individual on the unit.
Help Is On the Way
When I say that no one else’s starting spot is safe except for Mack’s, that means I am including Mario Edwards Jr. on the naughty list. Injuries can’t be assumed to be Edwards’s fault, but they did happen. No one knows if he can continue being the same player we saw play special football. Remember in 2015 that Mack had his most success when Edwards was on the field with him. Edwards is a valuable strength who can play inside and out at a high level, but only if he’s completely healthy. Thankfully, he was able to see the field towards the end of the year, and that can serve as momentum heading into 2017.
Aldon Smith is the elite pass rusher with a troubling past that the Raiders have given a chance to. He hasn’t slipped up yet but there have been scary reports. Despite that, Smith sounds ready to get back to football, and if he keeps his head on straight, what a mighty tool he can be for the Raiders. Thinking about Mack, Irvin, Edwards and Smith on the field all at the same time gives Raiders fans chills of excitement. All four of those players can command double teams, which means at least two of them will have one on one matchups to work with.
Adding Edwards and Smith is exhilarating, but it doesn’t completely solve the interior problems. That means the Raiders need to look towards free agency and/or the draft. Malik McDowell is the name that has been associated with the Raiders more often than not. The Raiders are in position at the 24th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and McDowell could be available there. Drafting him wouldn’t be a sexy pick, but there’s a good chance it is the right one. The 280 pound machine uses his hands extremely well in the trenches and is disruptive inside. Another player with defensive end and tackle versatility, McDowell would fit with the Raiders. The draft is deep with defensive linemen though, and the Raiders might be able to afford waiting on the defensive tackle spot early, especially if they add a big name in free agency.
Not-So-Free Agents
Three of the most important defensive tackles to watch are Kawann Short, Calais Campbell, and Dontari Poe. Short is the best option out of the three. Entering the prime of his career at 28 years old, Short is ready to cash in on what will probably be the biggest contract of his career. He’s outstanding at rushing the passer and defending the run, and there aren’t any signs of him slowing down yet. Short would be an enormous upgrade and the biggest team changer, but he will probably be too expensive. The Raiders do not have an abundant amount of money this offseason and are making Derek Carr and Khalil Mack contract extensions the top priorities. Short will likely sign somewhere else.
Campbell and Poe are more affordable tackles. If Campbell was 3 years younger, he would be in the same boat as Short. But Campbell is 31 which means that his productive years ahead of him are dwindling. Standing tall at 6’8” 300 pounds, Campbell has the ability to play both inside and outside. With a handful of players that play at the tackle and end spots, getting creative with matchups, defensive line shifts and blitzes can get interesting. Dontari Poe has regressed over the last couple of seasons, most likely due to a nagging back injury. Poe is still a monster and the nose tackle is just 27 years old. Interior pass rushing has to be better next season, and adding Campbell or Poe would change the entire production of the defense.
