Time flies, doesn’t it? Not too long ago, fans across the National Football League gathered around their televisions hoping their favorite team selected their favorite player(s) in the 2025 NFL Draft–including fans of the Las Vegas Raiders. One blink of the eye later, we find ourselves in the first week of June.
And as for Sin City’s football team, they find themselves with $36.1 million in cap space after signing the entirety of their rookie class, minus second-round selection Jack Bech.
That’s a good thing, too. While a large portion of fruit has been picked from the open market up to this point, quality pieces still remain.
One player, in particular, offers exactly what the Las Vegas Raiders are in true need of: veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley.
Sure, suggesting a team is in need of a soon-to-be 33-year-old linebacker fresh off of a season-ending neck injury is normally a tough sale, to say the least, but this one is a pretty hand in glove fit. And it isn’t for Mosley’s name-value, either.
C.J. Mosley: An immediate big-time contributor for the Las Vegas Raiders .. perhaps
After losing linebackers Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo and Luke Masterson this offseason, in addition to Nate Hobbs who oftentimes acted as the team’s third linebacker, the Silver and Black pivoted towards Elandon Roberts, Devin White and Jaylon Smith.
Three linebackers who bring a variety of skills to Las Vegas. However, coverage abilities aren’t exactly in any of their repertoires.
Smith, for example, was responsible for more than three pass-breakups in a season once throughout his career, achieving that feat during his ’19 campaign. From 2020 onward, the now-29-year-old has accumulated three total pass-breakups, allowing a completion percentage north of 75% each year in the NFL.
Although Smith only managed to break up three-plus passes in a season once, that’s one more time than Roberts has throughout his nine-year career. Heading into his 10th NFL season, Roberts has gone each of his campaigns totaling three pass-breakups or less with an opposing passer rating of 104-plus allowed through each of his last three seasons.
Then, there’s Devin White.
White has managed to personally get in the way of more than three would-be completions twice throughout his career, once in 2021 and again in 2022, But the tape consistently displays less-than-ideal coverage skills; perhaps that’s proven by the 13 touchdowns he’s managed to allow throughout his six-year career.
For reference, Smith and Roberts have 14 allowed touchdowns combined on their resumes.
That’s where C.J. Mosley truly makes a world of difference.
Coverage you can afford
No, this isn’t an insurance ploy–but it might as well be. Mosley offers great coverage at a plenty affordable price.
The now-former Jets linebacker appeared in all 17 contests through both his ’22 and ’23 campaigns, totaling at least five pass-breakups each season. Mosley was able to take two passes the other way during this timeframe, bringing his career interception total to 13; a number that’s five greater than the career interceptions of Smith, White, and Roberts combined.
During his ’23 campaign alone, Mosley was particularly phenomenal in coverage. His 90.6 grade in this area via Pro Football Focus ranked first in the entirety of the NFL at his position, totaling the 13th-most coverage snaps among his linebacker peers in the meantime.
Talk about impressive.
Perhaps the tackling prowess of Mosley demands its own shout out. His ’24 campaign aside, where he appeared in only four contests, the five-time Pro Bowler hasn’t had a forced missed tackle percentage that exceeds 10% since 2016.
Smith is the only one of the three aforementioned new-Raiders linebackers who can relate. Since entering the NFL, the Notre Dame alum has yet to reach a double-digit missed tackle percentage in any individual season.
Roberts and White, on the other hand, each have missed more than 10% of their tackle-attempts every year since 2020. White in particular hasn’t gone one NFL season without dipping below that number.
These are the things that Mosley, despite his age, offers the Las Vegas Raiders. And they’re things Sin City’s linebacker core truly needs.
To say nothing of Pete Carroll‘s understanding of the importance of off-ball linebackers, including the savvy vets. Yes, we’re looking at you, Bobby Wagner.
Perhaps Mosley will find himself sporting the
