The Raiders’ defense had folks buzzing this season, especially with all the talk about their pass rush finally getting some serious juice. Maxx Crosby was feeling good, looking forward to some real help on the edge. The biggest splash they made? Signing sixth-year veteran Kwity Paye, hoping he could bounce back after a rough 2025 season. And man, did he deliver in the opener, dropping two sacks, logging four QB hits, and grabbing two tackles for loss. The Raiders were probably high-fiving themselves over that signing. Fast forward a bit, and Paye has just completely disappeared.
The “Night and Day” Reality of the Raiders’ Edge Rush
It’s actually wild how different things have played out for their edge rushers. Maxx Crosby? He’s still out there doing what Maxx Crosby does: absolutely working. But the gap between him and Paye? It’s “night and day,” according to the data. Pro Football Focus crunched the numbers, and guess what? Maxx Crosby is rocking the best figures in the entire NFL when you factor in the percentage of double teams he faces and his Pass Rush Win Rate. He’s elite, plain and simple.
Kwity Paye’s Disappearing Act and the Alarming Data
Then there’s Kwity Paye, chilling on the exact opposite end of that spectrum. Despite getting double-teamed around the league average, he’s got the lowest pass rush win rate in the entire league. Ouch. This is the same issue that plagued him last season, the one that made a lot of people scratch their heads when the Raiders brought him in as a top free agent. There was hope, right? He’d put up good sack and QB hit numbers in previous years, so maybe this was fixable. But honestly, it looks like his struggles from 2025 might just be who he is now. Also worth a quick shout out to Malcolm Koonce, who re-signed on a one-year deal this offseason and popped up among the top pass rushers in that same graphic. What’s next for the Raiders’ edge rush? With Crosby still bringing the heat, everyone will be watching to see if Paye can somehow turn this around or if his early season heroics were just a flash in the pan.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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