K’Lavon Chaisson facing his former team, Aidan O’Connell ‘should be good to go,’ per Pierce

K’Lavon Chaisson is having a renaissance this season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

In his last three games, he’s racked up two sacks, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and a highlight reel interception on the line of scrimmage against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stepping up in a big way late in the season in relief of injuries to Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, Chaisson also has a 24.5 quarterback pressure percentage in his last three games, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

This Sunday may have a bit more meaning for Chaisson, considering he’s facing the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

“[O]bviously, it’s personal for him,” Antonio Pierce said. “It’s the team that drafted him and let him go. But I’m just talking about KC [K’Lavon Chaisson] the player for us. I mean, I think he’s done an outstanding job since he’s gotten here, bought into what we want to do. … And I know over the last month, he’s been kind of wrecking havoc. In the passing game, has an interception, obviously, getting after the quarterback, but then in the running game, with all the injuries, he’s been a bright spot for us. Somebody that obviously has tier one traits as a first-round pick, but I think he’s kind of found his home here, and we’re happy to have him on our side.”

While Chaisson acknowledged he’s looking forward to playing his former team, he’s keeping his emotions in check. He believes his biggest attribute that’s grown since leaving Jacksonville has been his maturity.

“You come into a league wide-eyed, way behind ears [as] somewhat a success in the level before,” Chaisson said after Thursday’s practice. “Things sometimes that you feel should carry over to the next level don’t really translate in a way you feel like should or that you expected it to be. So, there’s a lot of things that play into it, but obviously just being dialed in and staying to the course…