Raiders edge rusher Malcolm Koonce returned to practice this week after missing all of the 2024 season with a knee injury, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Koonce was expected to build on a solid 2023 campaign heading into a contract year last summer. Instead, he tore his ACL in the team’s last practice before the start of the regular season, and the subsequent surgery sidelined him for nine months. Despite the injury, the Raiders’ new regime made the 2021 third-rounder a priority this offseason and re-signed him to a one-year, $11MM contract.
The length makes it somewhat of a ‘prove-it’ deal, but $10MM is fully-guaranteed and only an additional $1MM is tied to playtime incentives, a sign of the team’s confidence in Koonce’s recovery. Overall, it’s a strong contract coming off a major injury, especially with new leadership in Las Vegas that let other 2021 draft picks like Tre’von Moehrig and Nate Hobbs leave in free agency this offseason.
The Raiders are clearly expecting Koonce to return to his pre-injury trajectory. After just four combined sacks and tackles for loss in his first two seasons, he posted 17 in 2023, plus three forced fumbles. He started 11 games, but finished the season with just a 44% snap share, indicating that Koonce’s production has room to go with more playing time.
A smooth return to the field will slot Koonce in as a starting edge defender opposite Maxx Crosby. The Raiders don’t have much depth behind them; 2022 No. 7 pick Tyree Wilson has been a steady contributor but hasn’t lived up to his draft billing, and Charles Snowden didn’t make much of an impact in his nine starts last season. Las Vegas also signed Jah Joyner and Jahfari Harvey as undrafted rookie depth to add to 2024 UDFA Amari Gainer.