Raiders report: Pass rusher ready for opener after missing all of 2024

Friday marks exactly one year since Malcolm Koonce tore the ACL and meniscus in his knee during a Raiders practice.

It also marks exactly 365 days since he started dreaming about what will happen on Sunday.

The defensive end is set to resume a promising career when he suits up for the Raiders’ season opener against the Patriots.

“I’m super excited,” Koonce said. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I got injured.”

Koonce, 27, was hurt when he tried to run a stunt to the inside in practice. The 2021 third-round pick out of Buffalo fell to the ground with a non-contact injury that ended his season.

The news was devastating, but he soon turned his attention to 2025. The only question was where he would be playing.

One of the most difficult parts of Koonce’s injury was the timing. He was a pending free agent and had eight sacks his final nine games in 2023. He seemed on the verge of a breakout season that would earn him a massive contract.

Koonce ultimately stayed with the Raiders on a one-year, $11 million deal. That let him continue to rehab with a group he already had a great relationship with.

“I had full trust in the training staff throughout the process,” Koonce said. “They would tell me at each stage what I was able to do and then I would go out and do it. If they told me I was able to run through a wall, that’s what I would have done. It was just about trusting them.”

The Raiders still believe in Koonce, too. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had big plans for Koonce in 2024 and sees no reason to adjust this year.

“Man, Malcolm’s been steady,” Graham said. “Steadily improving, getting more and more comfortable. And the explosion is there, the power is there, the confidence is growing. I was happy to see that sack in the preseason. That was encouraging there. So pretty happy with where he’s at and really happy about him being able to play the first week of the season.”

Koonce is fired up to take the field. But he knows he has to pace himself.

“You don’t want to sizzle out,” he said. “You have to keep on a low boil, a nice little simmer until maybe late Friday or Saturday.

“Then you turn it up.”

Just getting started

Jordan Meredith took a long and winding path to becoming the Raiders’ starting center.

He went undrafted out of Western Kentucky in 2021 and spent most of his first three NFL seasons on the practice squad. He got his first extended opportunity to start last year at guard, but the Raiders’ new coaching staff believed he could work at center.

Now, at age 27, Meredith is starting the year atop the depth chart. But he’s not ready to celebrate.

“At some point, I’ll probably take that time, but I don’t feel like right now is the moment,” Meredith said. “Right now, the moment is to focus on today and this week. Then maybe after the season or some point in the future, whether it’s sitting around with my fellow offensive linemen or sitting around with family, those conversations will probably happen.”

Meredith plans to just keep doing what’s gotten him to this point.

“It’s cool, but at the end of the day, we’re still here every day and we’ll go out and practice today,” he said. “The biggest thing is to focus on what’s in front of us and that’s still getting better every day and then hopefully we can apply that and use it in the game.”

Sideline or booth?

Graham acknowledged there are some differences between coaching from the sideline and up in the press box.

He has done both and believes you can get a better feel for the game on the field, but the picture of what’s actually happening is clearer up in the booth.

Plus, there is more time for snacking.

“I have a Coke in my hand,” Graham said, joking. “Could have a Snickers in my hand. I mean, none of that is happening, and if I do, they’ll catch me on camera.”

Graham also has to be mindful of his language in the booth.

“My parents are watching,” he said. “And they can lipread.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.