Potential Trade Upgrades For Raiders' Interior Defensive Line

Things got off to a promising start for the Las Vegas Raiders' interior defensive line (IDL) as the unit helped hold the Miami Dolphins to a respectable 74 yards rushing in a 27-13 Week 1 win.

In the five weeks since then, however, the IDL - which features starters Folorunso Fatukasi and Tonka Hemingway (who is currently in the concussion protocol) along with rotational players Adam Butler, Thomas Booker, Jonah Laulu and J.J. Pegues - has watched opposing rushing attacks begin to take liberties with it.

The low point was the 189 rushing yards surrendered to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4's 30-27 loss, but that was just the most notable data point in a trend that has seen the Raiders' opponents gallop for an average of 151.2 yards per game over the past four weeks.

Overall, the Raiders now rank 28th in rushing yards allowed in the league with 806 and 29th in yards per attempt (4.9) while allowing seven rushing touchdowns (24th overall).

That ground-game generosity is one of the reasons that Las Vegas finds itself in the midst of a three-game losing streak that has taken the luster off the team's 3-0 start, with a visit from the desperate 2-4 Los Angeles Rams looming on Sunday (1:25 PT on Fox).

It's also why The Athletic's Daniel Popper listed no less than seven possible "best fit" IDL trade targets for the Raiders when he released his 2026 Trade Deadline Big Board on Thursday, which is his attempt to identify 50 players from around the league that could be available before the Nov. 10 trade deadline rolls around.

For reference, the Raiders currently have eight picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, with multiple selections in the fourth and fifth rounds, while they own all seven of their picks in 2028.

Here are the seven IDLs that are listed as potential Raiders:

• Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans: Named at No. 1 on Popper's list, the 29-year-old Simmons is a game-wrecker as both a run defender and a pass rusher. Would take some significant draft capital to acquire Simmons and a willingness to take on his $26.95-million base salary in 2027.

• DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis Colts: The No. 4 player on the list, Buckner is due to become a free agent after this season and would be owed $6.5 million for the remainder of 2026 if acquired. Still a force at age 32, Buckner leads the Colts in sacks (4) and pressures (19) through six games.

• Via Vea, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Another high-profile IDL comes in at No. 6 on Popper's list. Now 31, Vea is signed through 2027 with a guaranteed $23 million next year. Vea, 31, has been standout as a run defender and pass rusher throughout his career.

• Moro Ojono, Philadelphia Eagles: The youngest player on this list at 25, Ojono (No. 8) will be a free agent after this season. Through six games, he ranks second on the Eagles with 15 QB pressures.

• Grover Stewart, Colts: Stewart (No. 17) is the second IDL listed from Indy - and the fifth player overall - which is a nod to the fact that the Colts fired GM Chris Ballard on Monday with the team off to a 2-4 start, meaning that a fire sale may be forthcoming. Stewart, 33 and a free agent after this season, is an experienced nose tackle who recorded at least 15 QB pressures every season from 2019-25.

• A'Shawn Robinson, Buccaneers: The 31-year-old Robinson (No. 45) has bounced around and is currently playing on a one-year contract with Tampa Bay, his fifth stop in an 11-year career. In five starts for the Bucs, he has 19 tackles and one sack.

• Dalvin Tomlinson, Los Angeles Chargers: The last player on the list, Tomlinson, 32, with the Los Angeles his fifth address in 10 season. Another impending free agent, he has always possessed an ability to be an effective run-stuffer on early downs.