HENDERSON, Nev. -- Throughout the offseason, first-time defensive coordinator Rob Leonard didn't want to dive too much into how the Las Vegas Raiders' defense would look under his guidance.
It was obvious that the Raiders wanted to be versatile, given the handful of players who can line up at different spots on the field, and they wanted to be aggressive when pursuing the quarterback. But Leonard steered away from revealing his full plans, especially during preseason games, by keeping things basic until the Raiders were in matchups that counted.
In the Raiders' Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins, Leonard didn't hold back in his playcalling, and the results were good. Las Vegas put together a promising defensive performance by containing Miami's run game and making quarterback Malik Willis' life uncomfortable in the pocket. More importantly, the Raiders' 27-13 victory showed that they have a solid supporting cast around All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby.
"I think he called a great game, and we just got to keep getting better because there's definitely some things we can improve on," Crosby said.
The numbers were impressive. Everything that was an issue for the unit last season became a strength. The Dolphins were held to 74 rushing yards despite having the upper hand in this category going into the season opener because of running back De'Von Achane. And even he had only 36 yards on 11 carries.
The Raiders limited Miami to converting 3 of 10 attempts on third down. On top of that, the Dolphins scored just one touchdown on three red zone trips. The Raiders also forced two turnovers.
The biggest takeaway, however, was being able to pressure Willis. In Week 1, the Raiders tied for the most sacks (five) in the league, had the fifth-most pressures (15) and had the sixth-best pressure rate at 44.4%.
"[Leonard] emphasizes allowing us to have a lot of confidence with the calls and be able to execute at a high level," defensive lineman Thomas Booker IV told ESPN. "Violence is speed. I think that's the big calling card of the defense."
Eight players recorded a pressure, including Crosby and Kwity Paye -- who combined for 3.5 sacks, 11 pressures and 10 quarterback hits. One play in the fourth quarter showcased a good playcall from Leonard and how strong Las Vegas' defense can be with Paye and Crosby lining up on opposite sides.
With the Dolphins facing a third-and-10 at the 11-minute mark of the quarter, Las Vegas rushed five defenders. When Achane attempted to block linebacker Quay Walker, Paye looped inside while Crosby forcefully pushed off offensive tackle Austin Jackson. Paye and Crosby then combined to take down Willis for a sack.
Paye's performance alone was a breath of fresh air. The Raiders needed a secondary pass rusher. They spent last season relying heavily on Crosby to be the anchor in stopping the pass and run game.
Paye, who had two sacks, five pressures and five quarterback hits, showed the potential to be a strong running mate. It helps that he is versatile and can line up at multiple spots on the field. Paye played 23 defensive snaps on the edge and nine snaps at defensive tackle.
"He played physical," Leonard said. "The style of play was right on par with what we're looking for. I was proud of him. You know, I was proud of him trusting me and the vision that we had bringing him here and sticking with it."
Paye developing into a reliable secondary rusher moving forward will be essential since it appears the Raiders could be load-managing Crosby, who played in 46 defensive snaps (82%). It was the fourth game since 2023 that Crosby has played in 82% or fewer defensive snaps.
Coach Klint Kubiak's decision to sit Crosby for three straight drives was understandable. Crosby underwent offseason knee surgery, and the Raiders need to be mindful of the 29-year-old All-Pro edge rusher's longevity so that he can continue to produce outings like last week's.
That's why it was so important for the Raiders to strengthen their front seven in free agency by adding Paye and inside linebackers Walker and Nakobe Dean, all of whom can attack the quarterback.
And when Crosby is on the field, opportunities arise for those players to create plays.
"I got more one-on-ones today, for sure," Paye said. "The slide was away from me, but I feel like [Leonard] schemed it up pretty well."
Leonard was given the game ball in the Raiders' locker room after the game. It was uncertain how he would handle the duties of defensive playcalling, incorporating ideas he had developed working under Mike MacDonald, Brian Flores and Patrick Graham. But Leonard's ability to have the Raiders look dominant in the trenches with stunts and simulated pressures while taking advantage of the new faces on defense has provided optimism in the unit moving forward.
"[Leonard] is aggressive and emphasizes style of play over everything else," Booker said. "Scheme is obviously important in this league, but at the end of the day, when you have players that are being physical, running to the ball, swarming, and can play fast, that's going to be a pretty good formula more times than not."
