The Las Vegas Raiders’ defense in 2022 left a lot to be desired. They ranked 26th in points allowed and 28th in yardage given up, struggling to stop the opponent’s offense in every facet of the game. However, they were especially poor against the pass.
The Raiders ranked 29th in passing yards allowed despite ranking 20th in passing attempts against. They struggled to force turnovers, recording only six interceptions on the season, which was tied for 31st in the league. Overall, the 13 turnovers the team had altogether were last in the league.
A big reason for Las Vegas struggling against the pass was their inconsistent pass rush. They finished the season with only 27 sacks, which was the third least in the NFL. Only the Chicago Bears with 20 and Atlanta Falcons with 21 recorded fewer.
It certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying as the Raiders spent lavishly on Chandler Jones last offseason to bolster the pass rush. However, after a very disappointing first season in Sin City, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated believes that Jones is someone that could be on the move before the season gets going.
“After posting double-digit sacks in six of the previous seven seasons, Jones fell off badly in his first campaign with the Raiders. The veteran edge rusher notched only 4.5 sacks over 15 games, and, at age 33, he’s not much use for a team trying to retool.
Due $14.2 million against the cap in 2023, the Raiders could trade Jones and save $10.57 million while opening up snaps for first-round rookie Tyree Wilson. Additionally, Jones would be a worthy trade target for a contender. An acquiring team would owe Jones only $1.16 million this season before having what amounts to a team option of $16 million the following year.”
The 4.5 sacks Jones recorded were the least of his career in a single season he played double-digit games. What makes that total even worse is that 4.0 of them came in a two-game span; Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers when he had 3.0 and Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams when he had one.
If the Raiders are able to find a team willing to take on Jones in exchange for some draft capital, they would likely jump at the opportunity. As Verderame notes, moving on from the former Pro Bowler would give Tyree Wilson, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, an opportunity at more snaps opposite of Maxx Crosby.
Dave Zeigler took a big swing on Jones, hoping he would provide a major impact in the same way Davante Adams did for the offense. But, it just wasn’t in the cards and if they can get anything of value in return for him, they should capitalize on that opportunity.
