3 Raiders Breakout Candidates on Defense

The Las Vegas Raiders have several young players on the defensive side of the ball who could be ready for a bigger opportunity in 2023.

After a rough season defensively at all three levels, the Raiders are looking for answers. There are a few young players who have the chance to break out this season.

With several tough offenses on the schedule, the younger players will have to grow up quickly if they are going to take on bigger roles. Thankfully for the Raiders, there are many options to choose from at all levels.

Today, let’s take a look at the top three breakout candidates on the Raiders’ defense. To clearly define “breakout,” this means a player who was in a smaller or different role last season beyond their rookie year but before the end of their first contract.

Linebacker Luke Masterson -- The Raiders added Masterson as an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest after the 2022 NFL Draft. He appeared in 11 games last season, posting 31 total tackles and four tackles for losses.

Masteron saw his snap counts increase in the last five weeks of the season, and he flashed improvement in all aspects of his game in that time.

With Divine Deablo coming off an injury and Robert Spillane finding his footing in a new defense, Masterson has a chance to build on what he showed at the end of last season.

Safety Tre’von Moehrig -- Moehrig is entering his third season with the Raiders after being a second round pick in the NFL Draft, and after an impressive rookie season, he regressed overall as a player. He was much better in coverage in 2021 than he was in 2022, and he did not record an interception last season.

Now, heading into another season in Patrick Graham’s defense and having a good player next to him in Marcus Epps, Moehrig will be much more comfortable and has a great chance to play much better than he did in 2022.

Defensive tackle Matthew Butler -- There might not be a player on the Raiders roster whose role would increase more than Butler’s in 2023. Butler played only 56 snaps last season, appearing in six games and posting two tackles and a sack.

Without many answers on the interior defensive line, Butler has a chance to establish himself as a more important contributor after being a fifth round draft pick in 2022. 

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