This season the Raiders will be running primarily a 3-4 defense. When they signed Kwity Paye this offseason for $48 million over thre years, it seemed somewhat odd because he didn't look like a great fit for the pass rushing outside linebacker role in a 3-4. As it turns out, that's just one of several positions at which they will look to play him.
"I'm playing SAM, playing Big End, and playing some 3-technique," said Paye. "So, I’m playing everywhere right now. I love it.”
It's the big end aka the 5-technique that seemed like his best fit when he arrived. But in any defense, you need to keep the offense guessing. If they know every time Paye is on the field, he's doing one thing, they know better how to attack him.
Those three positions can be
somewhat interchangeable depending on the play call. If an EDGE like Malcolm Koonce enters and lines up to Paye's outside, he becomes either a 5-tech DE in a 3-4 alignment or a 3-tech DT in a 4-3 alignment. Though, technically, he's a bit small for a 3-tech.
Often times they say if you got someone playing several positions, it's because they don't play any one position exceptionally well. For Paye, you might be able to offer that criticism if you looked at what he did last season in which is had one of the worst pass rush win rates in the league. But if you go back to his previous two or three seasons, the numbers look a lot better. Both from a pressure as well as a run stop perspective.
Basically, he is a tweener. He is a good pass rusher for a big end, a good run stopper for an outside linebacker, and agile for a 3-tech. While he would not necessarily be exceptional at the areas you'd typically need from those positions, the team is trying to tap into what he does well in order to get the most return on their investment.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Kwity Paye lining up at 3 different positions for Raiders
