Analysis: Are the Raiders minimizing Clelin Ferrell, and should they be?

By Case Keefer (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Clelin Ferrell has missed three straight practices, but that doesn’t mean training camp is over for the Raiders’ third-year edge rusher as the team prepares to shift to its regular-season practice schedule this week.

The former No. 4 overall draft pick may be the rare, if not only, big-name player who suits up for Las Vegas in an exhibition game on the road against San Francisco at 1 p.m. today to finish off the preseason.

“He has a chance to play in the game Sunday,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said on Friday. “We’re not quite sure.”

That update came as a moderate surprise, not only because of Ferrell’s undisclosed injury but largely because the Raiders have been cautious with their starters and most important players through a 2-0 start in the preseason. The 24-year-old Clemson product no longer fits in the former group, having been displaced from the top of the depth chart, and it might be time to wonder if the Raiders even view him in the latter category.

It’s been arresting to see fellow defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby resting on the sidelines during the preseason while Ferrell, a player the Raiders inherently invested so much in via the 2019 draft, plays and risks injury. Ferrell has been behind Ngakoue and Crosby on the depth chart ever since the start of training camp, but for a player of his stature, there was an expectation that he’d rotate in and compete for first-team reps.

He hasn’t. The Raiders’ company line for the past month has been not to read too much into his placement, but it’s become hard to ignore.

“I’m just getting him out there with all these guys,” defensive line coach Rod Marinelli said earlier this month. “Each padded practice matters and then the preseason games matter. He’s also working inside a little bit in our nickel, nickel rusher, competing in there. What I’m trying to do is just get every man as many opportunities as possible, a day-by-day process and we’ll see where we’re at as we go.”

Ferrell, in fairness, will get plenty of snaps if he’s healthy when the regular season begins. Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley likes to utilize two platoons of players up front, so the discrepancy in playing time between the first- and second-string defensive linemen will be as small as it is for any team in the NFL.

“We’re trying to develop that second-tier rush group — the guys that can come in and keep the first group fresh and how to make it to where they all have a role, and they all feel like they are a part of it,” Bradley said on Thursday. “So, that’s what we’re trying to develop now and seeing what’s the best matchup.”

The Raiders put unfair expectations on Ferrell by overdrafting him two years ago, but nothing about his performance so far in his career has seemed, “second-tier,” especially not after a strong sophomore season. There’s a good case to be made that Ferrell was Las Vegas’ best defensive player a year ago when he was on the field.

He missed five games with an injury and a "crazy" COVID-19 case, but in the 11 games he played, Ferrell registered nine quarterback hits and 18 hurries according to Football Outsiders. His short total of two sacks — both of which came in a win over the Jets — is misleading considering he tallied an above-average 11% pressure rate according to Warren Sharp’s advanced numbers.

Against the rush, Ferrell was even better by ranking in the NFL’s top 10 in run stop rate per Football Outsiders. He was one of the top 20 graded edge-rushers by Pro Football Focus, which also put him at No. 32 in the league at his position this year — eight spots behind Ngakoue.

Put it all together, and there could be an argument that Ferrell was heading towards a full breakout season in year three. To his credit, that’s still what he has his sights on and has given no indication that his fall down the depth chart has negatively affected him.

“The depth chart is gonna be what it’s gonna be at the end of camp but this is probably the biggest d-line group we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Ferrell said in his one media availability early on during training camp. “It’s kind of crazy because we have such a different mixture of guys like guys that are trying to prove themselves, guys that are already established, guys that have had some success early, guys that have been steadfast in the league like (Johnathan Hankins). I think the biggest thing is we have a great leader in Coach Marinelli so he talks big on being a collective.”

The Raiders haven’t completely lost faith in Ferrell, but it’s undeniable that they’re relying on him less than the last two years when he was a full-time starter. That’s not the typical trajectory for a first-round pick, especially not one who’s shown as much promise as Ferrell.

Gruden, Bradley and Marinelli have all mentioned getting him additional snaps by playing him inside, a spot where he’s thrived and made progress in the last two years, but they haven’t yet done so in training camp. Playing time is also at a premium there after Las Vegas brought in veteran Pro-Bowler Gerald McCoy a couple weeks ago.

Ferrell’s traditional statistics may look underwhelming, but his underlying production metrics suggest he’s been better than advertised with ample room to improve still young in his career. The Raiders really need him, and not just for the final preseason game.

“I’ve had a bit of learning curve, had some success already so it’s just trying to put it all together and put in that big, big year,” Ferrell said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.