As Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis once alluded to, the offseason is one of the best times. Optimism and hope are at a fever pitch but underneath all of that, is the team ignoring one of the most glaring deficiencies?
Pete Carroll, the new head coach, will undoubtedly enhance the Raiders’ defense overall. The former Seattle Seahawks general oversaw one of the most dominant defensive groups in recent memory. This offseason, the Raiders have taken steps to emulate that blueprint, but there is one exception. What about outside linebacker?
It’s far too easy to get lost in the razzle-dazzle that “hype” videos will do to you that are now making their way onto your phone and computer screens. We get it; it happens to all of us—remember last year? A so-called quarterback competition was being fed to fans as if it were Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins 2.0 out there. This year, it’s the linebackers. Is this current group truly capable of stopping a deep quarterback trio in the AFC West?
ESPN agrees, the Raiders stink at linebacker…
The groan can be heard already, I know, I know… Raider Nation probably doesn’t care what ESPN thinks. However, it would be disingenuous to discount the work they recently did in narrowing down weaknesses for each NFL squad. Wouldn’t you know it, it’s linebacker for the Silver and Black.
First, they dissected the Devin White signing from this offseason. Pointing out health concerns and the fact that he started just one game last season for the Houston Texans. Yes, one game. That’s who the Raiders are leaning on? He was a key component of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run but that seems like ages ago. Amari Burney who’s behind White has little pro experience having only played less than 10 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024.
Theoretically, the Raiders could be counting on a vaunted pass rush to mask some of their issues. Their defensive line is impressive and full of potential as currently assembled, though they’ll have to stay healthy to make their predicted impact. It’s a risky play if we’re honest; there’s no one out there who could come in and immediately remove doubt surrounding the outside linebacker position. General manager John Spytek surely has something up his sleeve.
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