The Las Vegas Raiders defense has kept the team in games under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. However, additions will be required if they want to take the unit to the next level, which is where Grover Stewart comes into the picture.
If the Silver and Black want to be a playoff team in 2024, they’ll need to surround Maxx Crosby with players who can get to the quarterback and stop the opposition’s run game.
Could Grover Stewart be a Raider this offseason?
Las Vegas selected Tyree Wilson as the edge rusher to help Crosby get to the quarterback. Even though the jury is still out on the Texas Tech product, Bleacher Report doesn’t have the Raiders going for an edge rusher as their top free-agent target.
Their NFL staff suggests that Stewart would be the ideal fit for the Silver and Black because it would give them a cog on the defensive line. It’s not the most attractive type of signing, but it’s an important one to have if the Raiders want to take the next step as a defense.
“[Stewart is] not the same dynamic pass-rusher, but he would be an anchor in the run game,” the staff wrote. “He is 30 years old and coming off a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Those should all work to bring his market down and potentially make him a free-agent value.”
Raiders need to improve their run defense
The Raiders are in the bottom 10 in rushing yards allowed this season. Las Vegas let the opposition run for 1,524 rushing yards. The horrors of the run defense don’t stop there. Patrick Graham’s defense has allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, 88 first downs via the run, and 4.4 rushing yards per attempt. All these stats put the Raiders in the bottom 10.
As a result, addressing their run defense should be one of the top priorities for the next regime, whether it’s interim general manager Champ Kelly or someone else. Stewart isn’t going to solve all these issues, but he could be part of a group of interior defensive linemen that makes it hard for anyone to run the ball on the Raiders.
Under Graham, the Raiders have shown flashes of a defense that can make life difficult for opponents. All the franchise needs to do is address key weaknesses that allow the unit to play at a top level for the entire game and not run out of gas.
*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images