While a lot of the attention is on the Las Vegas Raiders' shaky cornerbacks room, the edge rusher group deserves some attention, also.
Las Vegas is in fantastic shape on one side with Maxx Crosby, but Malcolm Koonce is a question mark on the other side.
Koonce has just one year of strong production during his career, which came in 2023, and he's now coming off a torn ACL in 2024, so there's a chance Koonce won't be himself in his first season back.
Behind those two, the Raiders are depending on disappointing former first-round pick Tyree Wilson and others to provide adequate depth, which is concerning and leaves Las Vegas one injury away from having a scary situation along the edge.
Luckily, there are still a few decent to good pass-rushers out there the Raiders could try to sign, with the best of the bunch being former Detroit Lions edge rusher, Za'Darius Smith.
Justin Melo of Raiders Wire wants to see Las Vegas sign the 32-year-old.
Za'Darius Smith split 2024 with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions after a midseason trade. The former Kentucky standout totaled nine sacks. Smith is reportedly looking to sign with a contender, but the Raiders could definitely tempt him to join Carroll's leadership program.
Smith was cut loose by the Lions for financial reasons earlier this offseason, although a reunion remains possible after both he and general manager Brad Holmes have expressed interest in getting back together.
Smith would be an instant upgrade for Las Vegas. Sure, he's getting up there in age, but Smith showed he's got plenty left in the tank after posting nine sacks in 2024.
With the three-time Pro Bowler, the Raiders would have one heck of an insurance policy for Koonce and one of the better three-man situations along the edge in the NFL.
There is also a world in which Las Vegas could deploy all three at the same time in obvious passing situations, as Smith has experience playing on the inside, also.
According to Over the Cap, the Raiders have $26 million in cap space going into the season-opener, so money wouldn't be an issue for general manager John Spytek.
Two potential roadblocks are Smith's likely desire to join a contender, something the Raiders are not, and not having a guaranteed starting role.
But if the Raiders can convince him to come to Sin City, signing Smith makes a ton of sense for Las Vegas.
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