Raiders’ Defense Has Received an Injection of Speed

One thing painfully obvious the past few seasons has been the lack of speed on the Raiders defense.

But after a busy offseason, the Oakland defenders appear to be a much more athletic group – especially in the secondary – and that could translate into more stops, more turnovers and more success in 2019.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has shown he’s likely to use that speed in new ways, including more blitzing from safeties and cornerbacks. Ex-Ram Lamarcus Joyner and draftees Johnathan Abram and Trayvon Mullen are at the top of the list. Plus, defensive end Clelin Ferrell, Arden Key and Maxx Crosby give Oakland a trio of athletic edge defenders. Veteran linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall – while no longer quick – bring a wealth of experience in the middle of the defense and give Guenther more flexibility. Guenther relies on Burfict to call the plays on the field and direct traffic, saying, “He’s just so smart.”

In the Raiders’ exhibition victory over the Cardinals last week, Guenther moved his pieces around the field and blitzed them more often than he did in 2018.

“Those were some plays that we’ll run during the season,” Guenther told reporters. “If you noticed some of the guys that were blitzing, it was Joyner, Abram, Marshall and Burfict, all new toys for me. Those were the guys I wanted to see blitz a bit, instead of sit back in coverage all day. I want to see those guys have to communicate and do different things instead of just playing one or two coverages.”

Guenther’s starters played just three series, but held Arizona to a minus-13 yards, forced three punts and collected a safety (by Joyner, on a blitz).

Said Guenther, to Myles Simmons of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “It was fun. There was a lot more speed on the field. We’ve got guys who can cover, guys who can blitz, play the run. I told the players, ‘You kind of know what it’s supposed to look like when it’s right,’ and we had some glimpses of that the other night.”