Entering 2025 Training Camp, Raiders.com is previewing every position group and evaluating the players who will make up the 53-man roster. Next up, a look at a defensive line hopeful for a bounce back season.

New players

Six rookies joined the defensive line room, consisting of four UDFAs and draft picks Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues.

Both Hemingway and Pegues were regarded highly for their athleticism. Hemingway, with career totals of 9.5 sacks and 70 solo tackles at South Carolina, received the highest athleticism score by NFL Next Gen Stats at the NFL Scouting Combine. As for Pegues, he filled in as a fullback and tight end at Ole Miss along with playing nose tackle. He recorded eight touchdowns, rushing or receiving, along with 26.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

"Unique player, for sure," Raiders director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said about Pegues following the draft. "You look at his career path, they really moved him around a lot his first couple years at Ole Miss. ... This year, you watch the tape, it's unique. He's playing on the end, he's playing inside, he's over the nose, and then he's obviously playing the short yardage fullback, wildcat quarterback, tight end, unique athletic traits."

"Tonka is another unique guy," Yeargan added. "He's played a lot of different spots for them. He can play three technique, five technique, big end. He's got interior rush ability. He plays the run well. Definitely another guy that tested really well, ran sub 5.0. Unique player that has some position flexibility and another high intangible guy."

Leki Fotu was the one veteran player added to the defensive line this offseason. He's complied 22 starts in 58 games played with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, posting 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his five-year career.

Returning players

In what seems to be a stacked room of returning players, injuries prevented the defensive line from reaching its full potential in 2024.

Malcolm Koonce missed the entirety of the season after suffering a knee injury days before the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. He seemed destined for a standout season after breaking through for eight sacks in 2023. A few weeks later, premier free agent signing Christian Wilkins suffered a season-ending foot injury.

Additionally, four-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby suffered an high ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, forcing him out of action for the first time in his career the following week. He re-aggravated the injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, prompting him to get surgery and miss the last four games of the season. While missing five games, he still led the team in sacks (7.5), tackles for loss (17) and quarterback hits (20).

"I think it all sucked for all of us," Koonce said. "Like all of us, we're in the training room seeing games and seeing bad things play out and stuff like that. So, I feel like for us ... it was just a sucky situation. It just didn't feel good for anybody."

While Wilkins is still recovering and rehabbing his foot, Crosby and Koonce returned back to the field this offseason.

"Last year was definitely one of the hardest years of my life in general," Crosby said during OTAs. "So many things going on, battling injuries, not being able to be myself at times, I felt like. There's no excuses. It's just, it's tough. It's part of the game, and that's what comes with it. ... But I feel like everything happens for a reason. I look at it, I feel like I'm a look I'm going to look back years from now, it's going to all make sense. And it's just been incredible being out there with my teammates, being able to just fully be myself, not hesitate on any type of cut and just cut it loose. It's the best feeling on the planet."

The blessing in the curse of missing Crosby, Wilkins and Koonce was the ability for multiple players to step up and get meaningful reps in their place. Adam Butler and rookie Jonah Laulu held it down in the interior and played all 17 games in 2024. Butler signed an extension this offseason after posting career highs in total tackles (65) and quarterback hits (10).

"I felt I had a phenomenal season," Butler said. "I think, of course, it could have been better in a lot of different ways. And that's one of my goals this year, is just to eliminate the close calls. There's so many other opportunities when you really break down the tape where maybe I was this close to making a play, or maybe I didn't quite finish. I'm trying to just eliminate that from my game and just focus on the little details."

Charles Snowden and 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson also got a lot of burn throughout the season, combining for six sacks and nine tackles for loss. Both Andre Carter II and Zach Carter were signed to the active roster from the practice during the late stretch of the season. The Carter duo combined for 1.5 sacks and 14 total tackles.