After watching the Rams’ second-team defensive line during joint practices last week, it wasn’t surprising that the Raiders’ young defensive line would have a strong game Saturday. The Rams lack depth up front. What was surprising was the emergence of undrafted defensive tackle Anthony Rush and the dominance of the young Raider defensive line. The defense only allowed 57 yards rushing and pressured the quarterback consistently.

While it is important not to overrate preseason games, Clelin Ferrell, Arden Key and Rush did what they were supposed to do — beat inferior competition. And an offensive lineman who stood out: Denver Kirkland. Kirkland wasn’t seen as a contender to start in the place of injured guard Gabe Jackson, but after a very strong performance Saturday, he might be starting to enter the conversation.

Arden Key
After a disappointing rookie season, Key worked hard in the offseason with personal coach Chuck Smith, who also works with stars like Von Miller. Key’s focus on improving his craft was evident when he sought out All-Pro Rams left tackle and fellow LSU product Andrew Whitworth after practice to ask for advice.

“(Whitworth) was telling me about my rush moves, about how I’m giving it up early,” said Key, who added that Whitworth advised him to “run at the (the tackle) and then last second just do your move.”

Key applied that advice right away and it paid off during the game as it helped him produce a pressure and a sack.

Tackle David Edwards (No. 73) took a wide set and stepped outside rather than straight back. Key threatened his inside with a step inside before executing a rip move to free himself. He didn’t reveal his move too early, just as Whitworth advised against.

On Key’s sack, he once again remained patient and stayed square with the tackle before executing his move. Once tackle Bobby Evans put his hands up to punch, Key pinned Evans’ outside arm inside and ripped underneath him. Key had trouble finishing sacks last year, but he displayed bend by flattening down to get to the quarterback.

Clelin Ferrell
Ferrell hasn’t flashed much as a pass rusher just yet, but he’s been stout against the run. Playing the run isn’t always about brute strength — the ability to recognize blocks and react with the correct technique is also key. Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have said that Ferrell’s maturity and intelligence are reasons why they are so high on him. Both those traits were on display in his first exhibition game.

Here, the tackle stepped inside, so Ferrell shuffled inside with him to close any potential cutback lane. The tight end came from the opposite side to “sift” block Ferrell or kick him out so that the running back could cut inside him. Ferrell correctly took on the block with his head on the inside to force the back to cut wide knowing that there would be outside support from safety Johnathan Abram.

So far, it looks like Ferrell will at least help improve the Raiders’ run defense, but you don’t draft a defensive end fourth overall unless he can rush the passer as well. Ferrell has shown a nice bull rush, but he hasn’t produced consistent pressure in practices. On passing situations, the Raiders have played Ferrell on the inside where his speed will be more of a factor than it is on the outside.

On this play, it looked like he was executing a stunt with defensive tackle Mo Hurst. Hurst cut inside and Ferrell looked to be looping outside of him. Ferrell did a good job of remaining patient before looping. Right guard Jamil Demby could have seen Ferrell coming around if Ferrell looped too early. Instead, Demby followed Hurst, which left Ferrell unblocked and allowed him to chase down the quarterback.

Anthony Rush
While Rush didn’t arrive with as much notoriety as former community college transfer Ronald Ollie, he’s already making a much bigger impact in the big leagues. Rush is a 350-pound defensive tackle who hasn’t particularly stood out in training camp — or maybe no one was really paying attention. Now, Rush has the league’s attention after registering two tackles for no gain and another one for a loss of four yards against the Rams.


Adam Caplan
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@caplannfl
 Was told by personnel exec from another team who reviewed #Raiders game 1 tape that Rush's play was "outstanding" and his performance at "1-techique" was enough for him to get claimed off waivers should he not make their roster. https://twitter.com/VicTafur/status/1160646964863631360 …

Vic Tafur
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@VicTafur
Replying to @VicTafur
Going over the gamebook, this tweet didn’t do Anthony Rush justice. 4 tackles, including one for a loss of -4 yards and 3 for no gain. 😳 https://twitter.com/VicTafur/status/1160631332151549953 …

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2:13 PM - Aug 12, 2019
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Rush has a very quick first step for a 350-pounder and a powerful punch.

As soon as the center snapped the ball, Rush was already in his chest and jolted him a few yards into the backfield. Then he used one arm and turned sideways to make himself longer and control the blocker. He penetrated so far into the backfield that the left guard couldn’t double-team him.

Denver Kirkland
Kirkland played guard in college, but the Raiders moved him to tackle after they tried him out as an extra tackle. He hasn’t really established himself in the NFL, but he was straight-up dominant against the Rams. He stonewalled pass rushers and moved people in the run game.
To be fair, Kirkland wasn’t playing against great competition, but he didn’t allow a pressure. In the clip above, he was in slide protection to his left and had to pick up a 1-technique defensive tackle inside of him. This can be a difficult block to make for a guard, but Kirkland did a good job of sliding at an angle to cut off the tackle and didn’t let him penetrate any farther upfield.
There were a few rushes when Kirkland should have squared up with his assignment a little more rather than attack half of the rusher’s body like a tackle, but that can be corrected with more repetition. It could be a habit he picked up from practicing at tackle.
Kirkland looked particularly good on zone runs. He had the key block that sprung DeAndré Washington free for his touchdown run.
Here, he took a quick inside step to get in position. When the defensive tackle tried to go back door, Kirkland executed a perfect cut block — sticking his shoulder pads into the tackle’s thigh, which opened up the cutback lane for Washington.
What to look for vs. the Cardinals
The Cardinals reportedly will play their starters for a couple of series in Thursday’s game, so Key, Ferrell, Rush and Kirkland should get looks against better competition. Key will face off against tackles D.J. Humphries and Marcus Gilbert. Humphries is a great athlete and Gilbert was a very solid tackle for Pittsburgh for years. They aren’t All-Pros, but they’ll give Key a good look.
Ferrell will get some pass reps against them as well, but I don’t expect him to get too much pressure on the edge. The Raiders want to see him pressure the quarterback when he kicks inside against guards J.R. Sweezy and Justin Pugh. If Rush looks just as quick and strong against them as he did against the Rams, P.J. Hall and/or Eddie Vanderdoes could be in real danger of not making the team.

If Kirkland gets the start at right guard again, he could get matched up against Rodney Gunter, who had 4.5 sacks last year. Another strong performance against the Cardinals could earn Kirkland some reps with the first team in the Raiders’ Week 3 exhibition dress rehearsal against the Packers.