Raiders 2024 Roster: Ranking of AFC West Defensive Tackles

We’ve gone through every offensive position in the Silver and Black Pride AFC West position rankings for the 2024 season/training camp, so it’s time to switch sides of the ball and focus on defense. Since Christian Wilkins was one of the biggest additions to the Las Vegas Raiders roster this offseason, we’ll start with the defensive tackles.

1. Chris Jones

There’s a reason the Kansas City Chiefs gave Jones a five-year, nearly $160 million contract this offseason, because he’s the best defensive tackle in the NFL, especially now that Aaron Donald is retired, not to mention the division. Jones has been at least a second-team All-Pro in five of the last six seasons and has earned a Pro Bowl candidacy every year during that span.

He’s also had double-digit sack totals two of the last two seasons, with 26 in the last two years. According to Pro Football Focus, the eight-year pro was one of the best pass rushers in the league last season with 74 pressures, which was the second-highest number at the position behind Donald (84). To add more context, Jones has pushed the passer nearly 90 fewer times than Donald.

2. Christian Wilkins

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Wilkins is another defensive tackle who received a big payday this spring after having a career year as a pass rusher in 2023. He posted career highs in sacks (nine) and pressures (58), the latter of which ranked ninth among all defensive tackles, according to PFF. That’s a big reason the Raiders gave him a four-year, $110 million contract.

A reliable run defender throughout his career, the former Dolphin has recorded double-digit tackles for loss three years in a row, totaling 36 during that span. Wilkins has a chance to dethrone Jones as the division’s top defensive tackle this season, but the latter still holds the edge for the time being.

3. Zach Allen

Somewhat under the radar, Allen has been a versatile player over the past two seasons, recording 10.5 sacks and 18 TFL. Last year was his first with the Denver Broncos, and he posted a career-high 60 pressures—eighth-best at the position in the entire league—and led all defensive tackles in the AFC West with a respectable PFF run defense grade of 66.6.

The sixth-year veteran was the league’s second-most productive center back behind Jones last fall and has shown an upward trend of late that should help him garner more attention in the future.

4. John Franklin Myers

To be completely honest, Franklin-Myers was a defensive end for the New York Jets when the Jets relied more on even or four-down fronts. In Denver, however, he is viewed as Allen’s counterpart, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph uses more odd fronts, putting the 288-pound player in the category of tweener defensive ends/tackles.

Regardless, he is expected to be another versatile interior defender for the Broncos. JFM recorded 50 or more pressure situations in each of his four seasons in New York and earned PFF run defense grades of 75.5 and 76.8 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively.

Granted, he had a bit of a down year last season as a run defender, averaging 64.3, and that’s a big reason why he’s not higher on the list. Still, the Broncos got a quality player this offseason in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

5. Morgan Fox

It wasn’t easy to choose between John Jenkins and Fox, as both are largely one-dimensional players, just in different phases of the game. Ultimately, the latter is the better pass rusher after finishing third among defensive tackles in the AFC West with 37 pressures last year, and the NFL is still a passing league.

The eight-year veteran also has 12 sacks over the past two years and 24 in his career, which is pretty impressive for a Division II product who went undrafted. Run defense, however, is and will likely remain Fox’s biggest weakness, as he has posted PFF grades in the 40s against the run every year since 2019.

Recognitions

• John Jenkins, LV
• DJ Jones, DEN
• Adam Butler, LV
• Poona Ford, LAC