When the Raiders signed defensive end Carl Nassib to a hefty contract last offseason — a three-year, $25 million deal for a reserve player — they expected a boost to their pass rush.
That impact never fully arrived. Nassib had his moments and even started five games, but he was also a healthy scratch a number of times. Coach Jon Gruden brought in multiple free-agent defensive ends in search of added pressure, and Nassib took a back seat.
The Raiders decided to retain Nassib for 2021, however, and he’s having a solid training camp. But what happened last season? The Athletic’s Vic Tafur shed a bit of light on the situation, reporting that some within the organization thought Nassib wasn’t interested in playing football 100 percent of the time in 2020.
“People in the building and teammates say he is more locked in this season and a better teammate than he was last year when he came off as aloof and disinterested at times.
Nassib had 2 1/2 sacks in 14 games last season and definitely looks more active this camp, resembling the player who had 12 1/2 sacks combined the previous two seasons.”
Aloof and disinterested? If the Raiders really believed that, it’s surprising they brought Nassib back. Las Vegas did restructure his deal, however.
Tafur said he hasn’t had a chance to as Nassib about his intel, but offered this quote from Nassib’s media availability.
“It’s been a huge difference for me just being in the same room together,” Nassib said, per Tafur. “When you’re in a Zoom and the coach is talking, you don’t talk for two hours. … I want to improve my game every time I take the field.”
Ah yes, the pandemic and the year of Zoom calls. That threw us all for a loop, to be sure, and it’s affected all of us differently.
But pass-rush skills are at a premium in the NFL and for the Raiders in particular, and that’s the largest explanation as to why the Raiders kept him on. The year 2020 will always be known as a bit of a throw-away, unfortunately, but in 2021 (as the pandemic continues but vaccines allow for fewer restrictions), Nassib appears ready to endear himself to the franchise and never be a healthy scratch again.
