Getty DaShaun White.
The Las Vegas Raiders continue to add to their linebacker room. The team just recently claimed Jackson Mitchell off of waivers but weren’t done there.
According to an August 20 X post from KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, the Raiders are signing linebacker DaShaun White to a contract.
White came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma last year and signed with the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t get a chance to play an NFL game as a rookie and will have to impress the Raiders quickly to have a chance at making the roster.
In five years at Oklahoma, White combined for 258 total tackles. His best season came in his fifth year when he had 90 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and two interceptions. That season wasn’t enough to get him drafted but those are impressive numbers. Perhaps he could earn a practice squad spot on the Raiders and try to work his way up to the active roster. He certainly has an uphill battle with only one preseason game left before the start of the regular season.
Divine Deablo Heading Into Key Year
The Raiders linebacker room seems to be in a good position with Divine Deablo and Robert Spillane as both had over 100 tackles last season. Deablo started 15 games last season, which was the most in his career.
While he played well, he felt like he wasn’t at his best. Tashan Reed of The Athletic detailed what’s different about Deablo heading into the 2024 season.
“Coming off a 2022 season in which he played just eight games due to injury, Deablo bulked up to 238 pounds last year in an effort to improve his durability,” Reed wrote in a July 30 column. “But Deablo said the added weight made him too slow. He only missed two games and had a productive year with 106 tackles, but he said he didn’t believe he played “to expectations” and still dealt with multiple injuries. This year, he has slimmed down to 223 pounds and believes he’ll be faster and better.”
Deablo is confident that he’ll have a breakout season if he doesn’t get hurt.
“I’m going to put (last year) to the side,” Deablo said. “I feel like as long as I’m healthy, I can be a top linebacker in the league.”
Deablo is in a contract year so he needs to have a big year if he hopes to be well-compensated next offseason.
Will Las Vegas Raiders Extend Robert Spillane?
Speaking of players on expiring contracts, new general manager Tom Telesco hasn’t been eager to hand out contract extensions this offseason. Spillane was arguably the Raiders’ biggest breakout player last season.
After only starting 16 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers across four seasons, Spillane started 17 games for the Raiders in 2023 and accumulated 148 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions. He proved that he could make an impact in run and pass defense.
Spillane is in the last year of his contract and could be one of the Raiders players in line for a contract extension before the end of the season. The franchise has struggled to find consistent linebacker play for a long time but may finally have a duo to build around in Spillane and Deablo.
