With free agency a couple of weeks away, we check in on the Raiders’ interior defensive line to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Johnathan Hankins, Maurice Hurst
Backups: PJ Hall
Free agents: Olsen Pierre
Triple H was in its second season in Silver & Black. One or more of them was expected to step up and none of them really did. Hurst and Hall, in particular, were expected to take their game to the next level in their second season in the NFL. Neither of them did.
As a rookie, Maurice Hurst showed a lot of promise. On a team with little to no pass rush, he led the team with 4.0 sacks. It was thought that with some improved rush around the edge, it would help free him up. The Raiders instead had Clelin Ferrell playing inside too often, trying to generate as much pass rush as possible and potentially stunting his growth as an edge defender.
Hall has never done much. He didn’t show a lot of promise as a rookie and was almost invisible last season as well. Now his GM is putting out challenges in the media, suggesting he needs to hustle more or he won’t last under new defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli.
Hankins has played a good bit of nose tackle and should continue to be a consistent performer there.
Condition: Unstable
Can they get by with the guys they have? Maybe. Is it still possible either Hurst or Hall can take their game to the next level? Sure. Could Rod Marinelli be the key to unlocking their potential? Also possible. Can you imagine what this defensive line could do with a force in the middle crashing the pocket and regularly demanding double teams? The Raiders would like to see that go from imagination to reality.
