Game time: All eyes on Raiders’ defense in preseason opener against Seahawks

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021 | 2 a.m.

The Raiders’ defense roundly dominated the offense on Tuesday in one of two full practices this week and has gotten showered with praise by most around the team’s Henderson headquarters ever since.  

Coach Jon Gruden might be among the only people exercising some caution. Perhaps burned by too much defensive underperformance in each of the last three years since he returned to coaching, he wants to see more evidence before entertaining the idea that Las Vegas’ issues are nearing repair.  

“I don’t know,” Gruden responded Thursday when asked if he’s been impressed by the defense in training camp. “We had some turnovers the other day, or you could just say the offense was sloppy, whatever you want to say. We put a lot into our defense, we made a lot of changes and I think Ngakoue and Crosby have been leaders. We still have a long way to go. We’ve got a lot to prove.”

The Raiders can begin to prove their defensive progress is real at 6 p.m. tonight when they kick off the 2021-2022 season with a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas’ offense has a lot of continuity, and a recent track record of success, behind quarterback Derek Carr going into his eighth season and may see the majority of starters rest.

There should be far fewer players out on a defense that currently lists new starters at six different spots on the depth chart.

“There’s going to be some mistakes because it’s a learning curve for everybody especially on the defensive side,” new first-string cornerback Casey Hayward said. “But as the game goes and the more games you get, the defense is going to turn into one of those defenses where everyone is like, ‘Hey, those guys are flying around. They’re not a weak link of the team.’”

A weak link is exactly what the Raiders’ defense has been for the last decade or more, including recently under Gruden where it’s never finished better than 26^th in the NFL in yards per play allowed. Gruden has continually made tweaks hoping to find the right solutions, as defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins is the only starter left from the 2018 team.

The coach’s most important move occurred when he hired veteran defensive coordinator Gus Bradley this offseason. Bradley has been implementing a new scheme and bringing in players more suited for it including veterans like Hayward, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson. McCoy is unlikely to play Saturday as he continues to work back to full-strength off a quad injury suffered last year but he’s been a leader for the Raiders’ defense since arriving a week ago.

“I believe this team is going to catch a lot of people off guard,” McCoy said, “and there’s a lot of talent in this locker room.”

Like the Raiders, the Seahawks aren’t expected to play most of their most prominent offensive players. Geno Smith is likely to take most of Seattle’s snaps at quarterback, squaring off against Las Vegas’ Nathan Peterman.

Smith will be up against a young Raiders’ defensive rotation that includes rookies like Tre’von Moehrig at safety, Malcolm Koonce at defensive end/linebacker and Nate Hobbs at cornerback. The other defensive player taken by the Raiders in April’s NFL Draft, linebacker Divine Deablo, hasn’t practiced while nursing a knee injury.

Other defensive players expected to debut in a Raiders’ uniform include defensive tackle Solomon Thomas and linebacker Tanner Muse. The hope is that a new generation of players can help move past what’s become an annual history of disappointment of defense.

Despite having only served as the Raiders’ home for one season, Allegiant Stadium has seen its share of defensive disasters. Las Vegas allowed 30.8 points per game at home last season, fourth worst in the NFL, and lost its final four games at Allegiant Stadium.

In the last loss, a 26-25 defeat to Miami that all but eliminated Las Vegas from playoff contention, Gruden described a late defensive miscue that led to the demise as humiliating and disgraceful. He doesn’t want to prematurely count on the Raiders’ defense being past such embarrassments, but there’s a sense around the team that it’s getting there.

Carr couldn’t remember many days like Tuesday where the defense beat up on the offense, and he’s hoping the same intensity can be found against on gamedays.

“If anyone walked off that field excited, it was definitely me,” Carr said. “This is a team game and it’s best game because it’s a team game. Every man in that locker room matters in order for us to end up with the goal that we want.”   

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