Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby enters his eighth season in the silver and black. With 69.5 sacks and five Pro Bowl nods, the defense has its cornerstone. Although the franchise traded him to the Baltimore Ravens, they welcomed him back after the Ravens backed out. With all of the fences appearing mended, the unit looks forward to moving the franchise back to respectability.
A member of the media who understands the organization better than most. Korl Morriaon played five seasons in Oakland, tallying 636 tackles, five sacks, and seven interceptions. Morrison, the ‘Raiders’ color commentator, told Jim Rome that Crosby’s role in new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s scheme should produce monster numbers.
“We feel like we got a first-round pick…Maxx Crosby. We thought he was gone. And all of a sudden the trade doesn’t happen. He’s the leader of this defense. There will be a new defensive coordinator in Rob Leonard. This is going to be a different type of defense, attacking downhill.”
“This new defense will allow Maxx Crosby to go to a different level of where he’s at in his career.”@kirkmorrison on the Raiders revamped defense under new DC Rob Leonard. pic.twitter.com/7LpjihrCfg
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) July 22, 2026
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New Life Under Leonard
Under former coordinator Patrick Graham, Las Vegas played passively at times, relying on the scheme rather than forcing. Rob Leonard made his reputation as a coach along the line. Nothing finessed about playing in the trenches. Morrison expanded on what he feels is the tentative plan under Leonard.
“Rob loves to blitz. He wants to bring pressure. This new defense will allow Maxx Crosby to go to a different level. We’ve added some pieces along through the draft, along with Kwity Paye.”
First, for Morrison to state that Crosby, who had four double-digit-sack seasons, will continue to improve is quite a statement. Next, Paye will bookend Crosny, preventing teams from using two- or three-man blocks. Instead, Crosby may see his fair share of single-blocking. Upon Leonard’s promotion, Crosby endorsed the move.
“He’s going to do it his way, and guys respect that because they know how hard he works and how much he loves and cares about this team and the players, and you can really feel that. You can’t fake that energy, and I think that’s a big reason why he got the job… He just has a really unique and special way of being able to relate to the players, and guys feed off that energy.”
That Silver & Black is different.
Eric Allen talks defense, leadership, and more with DC Rob Leonard in this exclusive interview.
Tap in ➡️ https://t.co/6QvLu4eAqj pic.twitter.com/AmIiTkVuuh
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 3, 2026
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Slight Changes to Bring Massive Results
As Morrison mentioned, Loenard wants to bring the heat every single day. As a result, the secondary is forced to rapidly improve. If he wants the front to rush, the middle and deep portions of the field will open up. In that case, Crosby will need to get to the quarterback or at least disrupt the play enough to allow the Raiders to pick off passes or cause havoc. Subsequently, despite his success, the upcoming season looks like a prove-it year for Crosby.
Rob Leonard has learned from some GREAT defensive minds
🧠 Mike Macdonald
🧠 Patrick Graham
🧠 Brian FloresAnd @YourboyQ254 said an NFL position coach told him this about the #Raiders DC:
🗣️ “Robbie will get you right.”
That’s the kind of respect Leonard already has around… pic.twitter.com/ePglseDjPz
— Jesse Merrick – Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) May 27, 2026
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Remember, he took issue with the team ordering him out of the final two games. Are those wounds healed, or is there a residual effect? More importantly, with such a large social media presence, Crosby loves to talk. Now, can he continue being a premier pass rusher, or will the Raiders need to look elsewhere?
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