John Locher / AP
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones, left, warms up during practice at the NFL football team’s practice facility Thursday, June 2, 2022, in Henderson, Nev.
Friday, June 3, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Chandler Jones might not be the most significant acquisition the Raiders made this offseason, but he might be the most important.
The two-time All-Pro pass rusher has been one of the best in the league over the past decade. From 2015-19, Jones led the league with 72.5 sacks. After a six-year run with the Arizona Cardinals, Jones comes to Las Vegas with the expectation that he'll strengthen what was a positive for the Raiders last season.
“I don’t want to go in front of these guys and say, ‘hey, you know what I can do. You saw me in 2019, I had 19 sacks,’” Jones said. “What have you done for me lately? What can you do for me now? And I know that. I take pride in that.”
For all the pressure the Raiders’ pass rush generated last season, they were still well below mid-table in sacks. Between the emergence of Maxx Crosby and the steady veteran presence of Yannick Ngakoue, the two combined for 18 of Las Vegas’ 35 sacks.
The next highest was defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson at 4.5.
Bringing in Jones came with a price. The Raiders traded Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts two days after Las Vegas signed Jones to a three-year, $51 million deal.
“What I like about the group that we have is everyone wants to learn,” Jones said. “There isn’t any players that say, ‘oh, I got this,’ or, ‘oh, I’ve done this before.’ … If you got a room full of guys that are like that, the sky’s the limit.”
Should the Raiders get the Jones who was one of the best outside pass rushers in the league, that swap will already prove bountiful. But with Jones comes the question of whether he can still be that version of himself.
The 32-year-old Jones sustained a biceps injury in 2020 that forced him to miss the final 11 games of the season.
Jones made an emphatic return in Week 1 last season with five sacks in a 38-13 Cardinals win over the Tennessee Titans. He went the next seven weeks — two of them he missed due to COVID — without a sack. He finished the season with 10.5 sacks, the seventh time in his career he hit double digits, and forced six fumbles.
With the Raiders switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense this season under first-year defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, it’s an easy adjustment for Jones to play left outside linebacker in that scheme, something Ngakoue would have struggled to do.
“He's a true professional,” said defensive line coach Frank Okam. “If you guys have been out there, you see how hard he's running to the ball. He's leading by example with this effort. And I think that's the thing that is a testament to his longevity in his career and why he's been so successful for this long amount of time.
“As a former player, you have to remember in the NFL that we're coworkers. And so, for me, I always like to pick the brain of someone who has 100-plus sacks because that's something I never did in my own career. So, any time you can get some lessons from the way they see the game, coaching points, film study points, anything to help those young guys acclimate to the game faster; I’m all ears.”
Defense is what ultimately got the Raiders to the playoffs last season, relying on their front seven while protecting a young secondary. It’ll be the same situation this season, but with more pressure on Jones and Crosby to be consistent for a defense that allowed the 13th fewest yards in the league last season.
In addition to giving Jones $17 million a year, the Raiders signed Crosby — fresh off an 8-sack season that got him to the Pro Bowl for the first time — to a four-year, $98.98 million deal with $53 million of that guaranteed. Pro Football Focus graded Crosby as the second-best edge rusher in the league behind Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.
With Crosby, trying to determine whether he’s a better fit as a 3-4 defensive end or outside linebacker to better complement Jones is key to maximizing their productivity.
“He’s a huge reason why I came to Las Vegas,” Jones said of Crosby. “One of the reasons why I came here was to play with him.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
