The Raiders are going into the 2026 season desperate for a pass rusher to compliment Maxx Crosby, and the hope has been that Malcolm Koonce will be able to return to his 2023 form.
An ACL injury ended Koonce’s 2024 season before it began, and many believe Koonce didn’t trust his surgically repaired knee in 2025.
This year, there are no more built-in excuses for Koonce, and everything seems to be lined up for him to have a big year. But with the preseason now in the rear view, Koonce has still not looked like the player he was in 2023.
In three preseason games (he played all three), Koonce has just one quarterback pressure in 21 rushes, according to Pro Football Focus.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers discussed Koonce on his podcast on Friday, and Myers said Koonce hasn’t looked great in games or practices to this point.
“Malcolm Koonce, he’s another guy that will probably make the roster. But man, he’s done a whole lot of nothing all preseason training camp,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“I mean, he’s had flashes here and there, but I just don’t think it’s enough. Now, is it like a $10 million cap hit? So there’s that. That’s probably going to save him. They did bring him back on a one-year deal, so this will probably be the last year he’s going to be tasked with having to step up in a major way.
“He’s got an opportunity once again to be the running buddy, to be the Robin to Maxx Crosby’s Batman, but he’s got to step up, and he’s got to make it happen.”
Earlier in the week, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said a high-priced veteran could be in trouble when roster cuts come, and it’s fair to wonder if he was talking about Koonce.
“I think there are some veterans who could be in a lot of trouble and one of them in particular has a very high price tag,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
Carpenter didn’t name the player he was talking about, but Koonce is one of only five players on the roster making more than $10 million this year, and the Raiders won’t be cutting Maxx Crosby, Tyler Linderbaum, Kolton Miller or Fernando Mendoza.
x: @raidersbeat