Silver And Black Pride
It’s been a long road back from the torn ACL that cost Malcolm Koonce the entire 2024 season. While he was cleared to play and participated in the Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason practices and training camp, Koonce didn’t look like he was quite at 100 percent yet and got off to a slow start.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Raiders’ No. 2 pass-rusher had just six pressures on 60 pass rush snaps in Weeks 1 through 3 combined. However, he took a big step toward returning to his 2023 form last Sunday against the Chicago Bears, nearly doubling his pressure total for the season with five on just 28 pass-rush snaps. That tied for the 12th-most among edge defenders for the week, and Koonce’s 26.9 percent win rate also ranked 12th, per PFF.
Perhaps even more significant, Koonce had a strong game against the run, too. His 77.8 PFF run-defense grade was third-best at his position, trailing league leader and teammate Maxx Crosby by just 1.4 points. Granted, the former only recorded 10 snaps as a run defender, but managed to come up with two defensive stops despite the limited opportunities.
So, let’s break down the defensive end’s best performance of the season to date.
The primary reason why Koonce had success on Sunday was that he had a handful of quality reps turning speed to power as a pass-rusher, and the clip above was the best of the bunch.
Chicago puts a tight end and a wide receiver in a reduced split (or near the offensive line) on his side, forcing him to honor the running game or anticipate a chip block post-snap. That’s why Koonce initially eyes the tight end before attacking the left tackle, even though the chip doesn’t come.
Once the tight end releases on the route, Koonce gets his eyes back inside and does a great job of planting his outside foot in the ground to change directions and getting three points of contact (two hands and a facemask) on the tackle’s chest to walk the tackle into quarterback Caleb Williams’ lap.
Granted, Williams ends up completing the pass here. But he at least had to get the ball out quickly, and it went for a short gain on first and 15, keeping the offense behind the sticks.
This time, the Bears do chip block him with the tight end, but the pass-rusher is ready for it and uses a swim move to avoid the contact. Now, it’s a matter of beating the tackle, and he does a great job of using his hands to defeat the tackle’s hands and win around the edge. That forces Williams to scramble and throw on the run, leading to an incompletion.
Granted, I would like to see Koonce finish his pass-rush move with a rip so that he keeps the offensive linemen from pushing him past the quarterback, while also helping him bend and corner at the top of the rush to finish the rep with a...
