Two years removed from a serious knee injury, Las Vegas Raiders' defensive end Malcolm Koonce has started the 2026 season with a vengeance, helping lead the Silver-and-Black to an unexpected 3-0 start.
You had to dig pretty deep in the Transactions column on March 17, 2021, to notice that the Las Vegas Raiders had traded veteran offensive lineman Rodney Hudson and the 247th pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals for the 79th overall pick.
Six weeks later, the Raiders turned that pick into University of Buffalo linebacker Malcolm Koonce. In four seasons and 45 games with the Bulls, the 6-2, 249-pound Koonce had totaled 110 total tackles (61 solo) and 18 sacks, including a Mid-American Conference-leading nine as a junior in the 2019 season.
After arriving in Las Vegas, Koonce appeared in a total of 22 games for the Raiders covering the 2021 and 2022 seasons, mostly on special teams, and recorded two sacks and 12 total tackles. Then in 2023, he was moved to defensive end and appeared to take several steps toward stardom. Starting 11 of 17 games, he totaled 43 tackles, eight sacks courtesy of 23 pressures with seven quarterback hurries, eight QB knockdowns and three forced fumbles thrown in.
He went to training camp in 2024 anticipating to continue in a starting role opposite Pro bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby, but those plans ended abruptly three days before the start of the season when he injured his knee and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
When Koonce returned last year, the 2025 season ended up being a lost one for him and the Raiders as a whole. With Pete Carroll now in charge, Koonce started just three games at defensive end, though he appeared in all 17 contests and racked up 4.5 sacks as the Raiders limped to a 3-14 record.
With Carroll dismissed after the season, through three games in 2026, Koonce appears to have a new lease on life with first-year head coach Klint Kubiak at the helm and Rob Leonard calling the shots as defensive coordinator.
Through three games - all Raiders wins - Koonce has rolled up seven total tackles, one for loss, with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Those numbers have also helped the Raiders lead the NFL in two notable defensive categories after three weeks: forced fumbles (10) and takeaways (9)
In Sunday's 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints that moved the Raiders to 3-0, Koonce was said to have "come alive" in the fourth quarter by silverandblackreport.com reporter Matt Holder. In that frame, Koonce recorded a strip-sack of Saints' quarterback Tyler Shough that led to Cody White's go-ahead touchdown catch with 9:27 to play. Then Koonce's hit on Shough forced an errant pass that was intercepted by Hezekiah Masses, leading to the game's final score.
Holder noted that Koonce earned a 91.6 pass-rush grade from Pro football Focus in the game, while he also chipped in against the run with a pair of "defensive stops" that helped halt Saints' drives.
"Obviously, the big factor moving forward is if the six-year veteran has actually turned the corner or was just able to take advantage of going up against a backup tackle," Holder opined. "That remains to be seen, but he did show signs of getting back to full health in the first two weeks of the season with five pressures and 1.5 sacks in those contests combined. He was just on a different level in New Orleans."
Koonce and the Raiders will need to stay at that level on Sunday as they welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Allegiant Stadium (1:25 p.m. PT on CBS) for the first game ever where both teams are 3-0. Early-season AFC West bragging rights will also be on the line.
