Top 2023 Raiders Defensive Plays | Complete Highlights
Last season, Malcolm Koonce started to show his brilliance and developed into a vital member of the Raiders defence.
He was a rotational edge rusher for the first two seasons until making a breakthrough as a starter in 2023, starting opposite Defensive Player of the Year candidate Maxx Crosby. In almost every defensive stat, including sacks (eight), tackles for loss (nine), and forced fumbles (three), Koonce recorded career highs.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stated of Koonce, “It’s him making the decision to practise the right way, get better, to improve, put in the necessary work, that’s just what it comes down to in professional football.” “I’m trying to remain out of the way and not get in the way of guys making the decision to get better. I am incredibly proud of that guy.”
While third-year player Koonce was hailed by Around the NFL writer Kevin Patra as a “unsung hero” of the 2023 campaign, his breakout season wasn’t completely overlooked.
“Used sparingly in his first two years, Koonce was stuck in a rotation early in the season, but the Raiders finally gave him more snaps down the stretch, and Koonce blasted off,” Patra wrote. “In Week 9, after Antonio Pierce took over as temporary head coach, he recorded eight touchdowns and eight sacks. In that time, he added 36 more pressures to his season total of 51. He trailed Crosby in all categories as the team’s second-leading scorer. As of 2023, the former third-round selection had produced nine pressures in his career. Koonce now has to demonstrate that her strong finish to the season wasn’t a fluke.
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