Oakland Raiders: Nine Players Who Must Play Big For Team To Succeed

Sep 22, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (50) against the Arizona Cardinals during a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Curtis Lofton/Dan Williams

Oakland’s running game was bad in 2014. So was their ability to stop opposing offense’s running games. As a unit, the Raiders’ defense gave up about 120 yards per game. Contrast that with Detroit’s top ranked run defense last season who gave up a touch under 64 yards per game. Needless to say, the Raiders must improve upon that number in a big way.

Enter Curtis Lofton and Dan Williams. In these two, the Raiders are getting proven and capable run stuffers who immediately make their run defense better.

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Over his seven seasons in the league, Lofton has been durable and has recorded very near 100 tackles per season. He isn’t going to get you much in the way of sacks, but has great instincts, flows to the ball, and is going to track down the ballcarriers and put them on the ground. Which is something Oakland desperately needs.

Williams is a big body who can really push the pocket on the interior of the defensive line. He takes up a lot of space and can fill up the running lanes. He can also occupy multiple blockers, which will allow others along the defensive front to get after the quarterback.

The signings of Lofton and Williams, though perhaps not as flashy as signing a Ndamukong Suh or Darrelle Revis, solid, solid signings. They may be among the most underrated signings of the free agency period simply because they will upgrade the Raiders running game immensely.

Which is good because that’s an area Oakland needed to improve upon immediately.

Next: The Young Guns