Raiders' Infrastructure Should Help Crosby's DPOY Case

The moves the Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason could help Maxx Crosby win Defensive Player of the Year.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders should have an excellent season defensively, led by their heart and soul, defensive end Maxx Crosby. 

Crosby had the best season of his career in 2023, posting 14.5 sacks and 90 tackles. He also posted a league-leading 23 tackles for loss, a season after leading the league in tackles for loss with 22. 

This offseason, the Raiders decided they did not want to waste Crosby’s prime years, so they decided to make significant additions to help him. 

Before the emergence of Malcolm Koonce in the second half of the 2023 season, Crosby was the only defensive lineman producing for the Silver and Black. Koonce’s improvement helped provide a formidable edge rusher on Crosby’s opposite side. 

Then, during the free agency period, the Raiders signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million contract. Wilkins was coming off the best season of his career and had established himself as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. 

Now that the Raiders have a young star in Koonce on one side and Wilkins taking on blockers up the middle, Crosby could have another career-best season and finally win the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award. 

Crosby currently has the third-best odds to win the award at +850, tied with Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt. Only Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons and Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett have better odds. 

Crosby has a great chance to win the award if the Raiders have a winning record. The moves the Raiders have made should help them win more games, thus propelling Crosby to earning the hardware. 

The Raiders have not had an interior lineman like Wilkins to help Crosby by rushing the passer up the middle. Wilkins taking on guards as a 3-technique defensive tackle should leave Crosby one-on-one with offensive tackles more often.

Because the Raiders have two more talented defensive linemen, opposing offensive lines can no longer dedicate all their resources to stopping Crosby. 

Crosby posted monster numbers while teams were doing that, so he could have the biggest season of his career, which would really be saying something.

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