malcolm koonce
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Las Vegas Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been big spenders to start free agency. Not a lot of free agents from last year’s squad have been re-signed, but there were a couple of players the team wanted back.
Cornerback Eric Stokes signed a new contract right at the start of free agency, and he won’t be alone. According to NFL insider Jordan Schutlz, defensive end Malcolm Koonce also landed a new contract.
He’s getting $11 million over one year.
It has been a rough couple of years for Koonce. He had a breakout season in 2023, when he had a career high 8.0 sacks. 2024 was supposed to be a huge year for him before he entered free agency.
Unfortunately, he hurt his knee before the season and missed the entire year. He wasn’t able to make much of an impact this last season, as he clearly was still trying to get back to 100%.
It wouldn’t have been a surprise if the Raiders let him walk in free agency, but they clearly still see some potential there. New defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has coached the Las Vegas defensive line for the past three seasons, so he knows Koonce well. He must believe that he can still be an impact player for the team.
Raiders Get ‘A’ for Koonce Signing
While Koonce struggled last season, the upside is there. Plus, the Raiders are switching to a 3-4 base defense, which could be a better fit for his skillset. The Athletic’s Mike Jones gave the Raiders an “A” grade for re-signing Koonce.
“A talented pass rusher with a nice bag of tricks, Koonce returns on a prove-it deal and will be counted on to help fill the void caused by Maxx Crosby’s departure,” Jones wrote. “Koonce recorded a career-best eight sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 2023. Last season, he returned from the ACL tear that robbed him of the 2024 season and recorded four sacks and 30 tackles. The Raiders are hoping he can take another leap forward now two years removed from that injury.”
Raiders Get ‘F’ for Kwity Paye Signing
The Raiders keeping Koonce could be looked at as a savvy move, but not everybody is high on the Kwity Paye signing. He’s a solid veteran, but the team gave him $16 million a year.
The former first-round pick should help the run defense, but The Athletic’s Daniel Popper gave the Raiders an “F” grade for Paye’s contract.
“Paye is a physical run defender and can set the edge in that phase,” Popper wrote. “He lacks juice as a pass rusher. Paye is more of a pocket-pusher. He does not have much diversity in his moves. Paye likes to bull rush, but he is not powerful enough to win consistently in this way. Among 64 edge rushers with at least 300 pass rush snaps last season, Paye ranked 54th in pass rush efficiency with the Indianapolis Colts, according to PFF. He is a useful player. But $16 million per year is an overpay for an edge rusher who is going to affect the run game far more than the quarterback.”