Raiders Season Review: Maxx Crosby
Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is no stranger to coaching good pass rushers, having done so recently with the Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bradley looks to have his next best one in defensive end Maxx Crosby, who established himself as one of the premier edge players in the league this season.
As a former fourth-round pick, Crosby had already given the Raiders plenty of value with 17 sacks over his first two seasons.
In 2021, he was able to take a huge leap in play, being elected to his first Pro Bowl and making a second-team All-Pro appearance.
The eight sacks and 56 total tackles that he finished the season with might not seem like huge numbers, but Crosby was a pressure machine.
Crosby finished with a combined 70 quarterback pressures and hits. His 30 hits were by far a career-high, as he had accumulated a combined 27 in his first two seasons.
Crosby had the second-best pass-rush rating for edge rushers as graded by Pro Football Focus.
Crosby also had a top-10 run defense grade, which added up to him finishing as PFF's second-best edge player this season out of 113 eligible players.
Even in the times when the Raiders defense struggled, Crosby could always be counted to bring his best in every snap.
Crosby's relentlessness is something the Raiders can build their defensive foundation around, especially if they decide to go with a new defensive scheme with whoever ends up being the next head coach.
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