The Las Vegas Raiders revamped their defense over the course of the NFL offseason with the storied franchise intent on being a force to be reckoned with on that side of the football during the 2021 campaign.
Perhaps the biggest move for the Raiders in their efforts to upgrade the defense was bringing in Gus Bradley to be the new defensive coordinator. Maxx Crosby, who is coming off an impressive rookie campaign, talked about his impression of Bradley thus far.
“I think Gus is a great coach,” Crosby said. “He has a great energy about him, the guys really soak in what he says. Everybody wants to succeed. The defense has struggled as of recent and we’re trying to turn that around. We’re trying to get to the playoffs, that’s the No. 1 goal. So, Coach Gus has been awesome and my experience thus far has been nothing but positive.”
Along with seemingly being on the same page as Bradley ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Crosby is close to getting his body back to 100 percent after being banged up throughout his rookie season in Las Vegas.
“I’m very, very close,” Crosby said. “I’m able to do everything. The good thing is, we have time. I’ve just been rehabbing every day, getting right, getting stronger and just getting ready for the season.”
Crosby will certainly play a big role in the team’s efforts to improve defensively, and he may be able to top his rookie debut due to the team’s big additions in the offseason. He’ll be getting help from Yannick Ngakoue in the pass rush while also seeing some players that might be able to put some pressure on the opposing quarterback in the secondary in rookie safety Trevon Moehrig and veteran corner Casey Hayward Jr.
With OTAs underway, the Silver and Black will work towards rebuilding this defense led by Crosby and Ngakoue leading up to the team’s season opener on Sept. 13 against the Baltimore Ravens at Allegiant Stadium.
