Silver And Black Pride
Diving into what the new backer can bring to Las Vegas’ defense
Linebacker is arguably the weakest position group on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster. So, when the Cincinnati Bengals released linebacker Germaine Pratt into free agency last week, it was only a matter of time until he signed with the Raiders.
While Pratt has limitations in coverage, he does add another quality run defender to the second level of Las Vegas’ defense.
Last season, the six-year veteran logged several career-highs statistically, including 143 total tackles and a 70.1 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus. Building on that, his 55 solo tackles against the run ranked tied for ninth among linebackers, and his 28 defensive stops were tied for 19th at the position.
With that, let’s take a look at a few examples of what the new addition can bring to the Raiders’ defense.
As one might expect from a veteran linebacker, Pratt has pretty good instincts against the run. What stands out is that he’s not only quick to read plays, but he also stays patient to avoid running himself into blocks. To use a classic John Wooden-ism, Pratt is quick but doesn’t hurry when keying and diagnosing run plays.
Here, the Kansas City Chiefs are in 13 personnel and motion a tight end across the formation pre-snap, which is the linebacker’s first signal key that a run to the short side of the field is coming. So, he slides over from the C-gap to the A-gap when the offense flips the strength of the formation.
Post-snap, Pratt quickly recognizes that the guard he’s lined up across from is pulling and continues working toward the playside of the power run call. Notice how he gets to the landmark and is moving at a pace where he can stay under control. That allows him to sift through the trash and, with the help of defensive end Trey Hendrickson, avoid tight end Travis Kelce’s block.
As a result, the linebacker is sitting in the hole and waiting for the running back to get involved in the tackle for a one- to two-yard gain.
This time, the Chiefs run inside zone away from Pratt. That makes him responsible for the backside B-gap on this playcall. So, he steps downhill to fulfill his assignment, taking away the cutback lane from Isiah Pacheco.
With former Bengal and current Raider Zach Carter (No. 95) slanting into the playside A-gap and getting penetration, it’s clear Pacheco wants to cut backside. However, he can’t since the linebacker is taking away the cutback lane.
As a result, the running back has to put his head down and just get what he can. Since Pratt was patient and didn’t come too far downhill, he’s able to work laterally and stay unblocked to make the tackle on the other side of the formation for another short gain.
Moving on to Pratt’s ability to take on blocks, this first clip will highlight one wrinkle in how Cincinnati used him in...
