Familiarity and comfortability have led Malcolm Koonce back to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The edge rusher, entering his fifth NFL season, re-signed with the franchise that selected him in the third round (79th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. 2023 was a breakout year for Koonce as he racked up eight sacks and seven tackles for loss in the second half of the season. The Raiders were expecting him to follow up the impressive showing, but unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards for 2024.

He suffered a debilitating knee injury in practice the week of the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite the unforeseen setback, the time he lost wasn't time wasted. He used it as an opportunity to lean on his teammates and training staff through the recovery process.

"I'm in a good place in my rehab. Feel good," Koonce said Tuesday. "Trust the Raiders training staff over here, lifting staff, they've been putting me in a good place, in a good position. And it was extremely frustrating. It's like an overall feeling that you let people down, even though it's something that you couldn't help, but I'm happy that's behind me and I can only look forward."

Koonce's return to the Raiders is one piece in solidifying the framework of a promising defensive line. His mentor Maxx Crosby signed an contract extension last Wednesday, and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and defensive line coach Rob Leonard were retained on the coaching staff, which should help Koonce's return the field be seamless barring any setbacks.

"[S]omebody like Pete Carroll, he's a legend of a coach, so who doesn't want to be around him? And then Pat [Patrick Graham] has kind of seen me grow into the player that I am, so I'm very comfortable around him, comfortable in the system, and it's always great to be around guys that believe in you."

"Definitely a good feeling when you come back to a comfortable position with people that you know," Koonce added. "People that you know and trust, people that you played with before. And yeah, it was an amazing feeling, felt like a weight lifted off my shoulder, so I'm happy."

While the signing is a sign of affirmation from the franchise coming off his injury, he seems laser-focused on the bigger picture heading into 2025.

"I'm more just focused on getting healthy, trying to just be the best Malcolm I can be, and that's pretty much it."