Oakland Raiders: Team Gets Good News, Defense Looking Stacked
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders got a dose of good news with Mario Edwards Jr.’s announcement that he has been given the green light to get back on the field.
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With an offseason full of good vibes and optimism already underway, the Oakland Raiders got even more good news on Friday when DE Mario Edwards Jr. announced via social media, that he’s been given the final medical clearances he needed to get back on the field with his teammates. The team is preparing for a season with heightened expectations and a tangible sense of momentum – one that could carry them to the top of the AFC West. And having Edwards back in the lineup will certainly help put even more teeth into Oakland’s defense.
Many a raised eyebrow and skeptical expression were cast the Raiders’ way when they used their second round pick (35th overall) in last year’s draft. Teams felt that GM Reggie McKenzie reached too high for a player with character issues, with a penchant for taking plays off, and for not giving maximum effort to his team.
Edwards proved all of his critics wrong as he came in, worked hard, and most importantly, produced. He becamse a valuable component of a defensive front that was doing a much better job of getting after the quarterback in 2015 than they had in quite some time.
Edwards started ten games for the Silver and Black in 2015, notching two and a half sacks and 41 tackles. But his real contributions aren’t seen on the stat sheet. He was a force coming off the edge and the focus teams had to put on him helped Khalil Mack, who racked up 15 sacks last season.
So having Edwards back, wreaking havoc off the edge is going to help keep Mack’s sack total running, and help the defense as a whole.
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With Edwards returning to a front that includes Dan Williams, Justin Ellis, Malcolm Smith, Ben Heeney, Mack, the newly acquired Bruce Irvin, rookies Shilique Calhoun and Jihad Ward, who are expected to make some contributions – and of course, when Aldon Smith returns from suspension – a defensive front that had a pretty strong showing last season suddenly looks a lot more intimidating.
This is a defense that has pass rushers everywhere. Defensive coordinators aren’t simply going to be able to key on one or two guys to blunt the Raiders’ pass rush. Having that many bodies who are quick off the line, able to get around the edge, and put themselves in the quarterback’s face is going to produce some terrific results for Oakland.
With so many pass rushers ready to go, they seem almost certain to better the 38 sacks the defense posted a year ago – a total that put them firmly in the middle of all defenses in the league last season.
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The Raiders are building a bully on the defensive side of the ball and having Edwards back is one more piece of the puzzle. They’re putting together a front seven that is going to be a force of nature, one that can impose its will on opposing offenses, and one that is going to lead this Raiders team back to the top of the AFC West – and beyond.