Beauty is oftentimes found where it’s least expected; If the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t know that before, they certainly do after kicking the tires with K’Lavon Chaisson.
Not too many fans were dancing around when the Raiders announced the signing of K’Lavon Chaisson at the start of the 2024 season. Las Vegas’ head coach Antonio Pierce wasn’t too sold on the addition himself, keeping the 25-year-old on the team’s practice squad until early October.
There weren’t too many reasons to be excited, after all. Chaisson, the 20th-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, totaled a mere five sacks through 57 contests. No individual campaign welcomed more than two sacks for the LSU alum. Similarly, no season went by that yielded over four tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
But all of that is now ancient history.
16 weeks through the 2024 season, Chaisson has quickly become a fan-favorite. He’s been able to set career-highs in sacks, tackles for loss, stops, pass deflections and interceptions, in addition to earning the highest run-defense grade via Pro Football Focus of his young career. More impressively, the first-year Raiders edge rusher is achieving these feats despite Week 4 being the first week of the year where he took the field for more than two plays on defense. Oh yeah–and there’s still two games left to be played.
The now-former Jaguar’s latest outing is one where he totaled both a sack and pass-deflection, beating his old club’s offensive line on 16.7% of pass-rushes to force three pressures; a number that tied with second-year edge rusher Tyree Wilson for most on the team this past week. Chaisson was the only player among all Raiders’ edge rushers who finished the day with a grade north of 70.0.
Sunday’s contest was nothing more than Chaisson’s latest noteworthy performance.
Another week, another noteworthy performance from Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson
That was the story written after a monster Week 14 performance by Chaisson. Two weeks later, that same headline feels most appropriate to recycle.
It’s been quite a ’24 campaign for Chaisson; one that only seems to get better as the weeks go on.
Four different contests have ended with Chaisson’s name in the sack column. Prior to joining Sin City’s defense, the former first-round pick had never finished a season taking down quarterbacks in more than two separate outings.
The sacks are coming in for Chaisson due to him beating blockers at a higher rate than ever before.
On the season, the Raiders’ newcomer has gotten past his matchup on 14.8% on pass-rush snaps. Not only is this the highest win-rate of Chaisson’s career, blowing his former career-best of 8.5% out of the water, but it stands as the highest mark among all Sin City defenders who have rushed opposing quarterbacks on at least 10 occasions. That includes All-Pro Maxx Crosby, who’s posted a win-percentage of 12.7% this season.
Due to this, Chassion has been able to force 25 pressures through 12 contests. Although that puts him fourth on the team behind Crosby, Wilson and Adam Butler, each of those players have totaled at least 40 more attempts at taking down opposing quarterbacks.
Chaisson has shown tremendous growth in other areas as well. Not only has he knocked a pair of passes to the ground at the line of scrimmage this season, the same amount of pass deflections he totaled through the first four seasons of his career, but the athletic pass-rusher was able to secure his first interception in the National Football League.
The decision
As the weeks go on, Chaisson continues showing why he deserves a second contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, with soon-to-be free agent Malcolm Koonce and Crosby back in the picture, there simply aren’t enough snaps to feed everyone. Not when including Tyree Wilson as well.
Sin City’s general manager will have to make a decision soon: Invest in K’Lavon Chaisson, or continue progressing Malcolm Koonce?
Of course, should there be any truth to Crosby potentially wanting to land elsewhere – a question only Crosby himself knows the answer to – then investing in both Chaisson and Koonce serves as a viable solution. Raider Nation doesn’t want to entertain that thought any further, however.
In any event, Chaisson has earned himself a notably-sized role on a team in 2025. The only question is, will that team be the Raiders?
*Top Photo: Getty Images/ Jamie Squire
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