The Las Vegas Raiders had an incredibly active offseason, and for good reason: There was plenty that they needed to fix.
One area that was important was linebacker, and it’s been a total overhaul.
Devin White, Elandon Roberts, Jamal Adams and Germaine Pratt are all gone among last season’s frequently used LBs.
The Raiders brought in both Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean to lead a new-look group.
ESPN’s Ben Solak ranks it as the second-best positional group improvement in the entire NFL this offseason, behind just the work the Arizona Cardinals did at the running back position.
“Not only are all four no longer Raiders,” Solak wrote of the departed players, “none of the four has signed with another team so far. White, who had a Raiders-record 174 tackles last season, still has some utility as a run-stopping linebacker with the size and speed to see the field in sub packages. Similarly, Roberts is a physical run defender who deserves a roster spot somewhere. But neither should have been an every-down starter last year — especially beside one another, given the redundant skill sets. There was a lot wrong with the Raiders franchise last season, but even with a good coaching staff and healthy secondary, this linebackers room was a nonstarter.”
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The Raiders will have a lot of focus on No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, but these new linebackers can make a big difference going forward, too.
“GM John Spytek overhauled the group with a pair of old teammates: Walker and Dean played beside one another as Georgia Bulldogs in 2020 and 2021 before parting ways in the 2022 draft,” Solak writes. “Dean and Walker are a complementary duo. Dean might be undersized, but he has many traits of a prototypical signal-calling Mike linebacker: great recognition and instincts, plus physical tackling skills.”
The Raiders may not turn the whole thing around overnight. But they’ve got a much better foundation in place than they had before, and that includes these changes at linebacker that might not grab headlines but could prove pivotal.