The Las Vegas Raiders had some obvious needs in free agency, mainly on the defensive side of the ball, and they were able to use their $58 million in cap space to fix those.
In particular, the Raiders defensive line is going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2020 thanks to a number of additions. While the team already had promising young talent in Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell, they also added more young talent with the additions of Carl Nassib, Daniel Ross and Maliek Collins.
Collins spent the last four years with the Dallas Cowboys, incidentally where new Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli also had been. According to Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, Marinelli was pushing for the team to sign Collins, via Raiders.com:
“Maliek Collins, Rod obviously coached him last year and Rod jumped up on the table in support of what this kid could be.”
Collins had been a starter on the Cowboys defensive line for the past four years. So far in his career, he has totaled 14.5 sacks, 40 quarterback hits and 54 solo tackles.
He brings in some more talent to an already strong defensive line, but the biggest factor Collins brings is options. While Collins would likely be a starter, the Raiders still have all of their starting defensive lineman from last year, as well as backup Maurice Hurst, in addition to Nassib. With so many talented players on board, head coach Jon Gruden and Marinelli should be able to play around with the unit to find the best fit as well as get guys much needed rest.
Another exciting factor of the Raiders defensive line is their youth. Mayock noted that every defensive lineman with starting potential is roughly 26 years old or younger. With a plethora of talent and youth on the Raiders side, 2020 should be an exciting season.
