Silver And Black Pride
Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
The offseason is winding down with free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror as the Las Vegas Raiders gear up for OTAs next week. So, like last week, our mailbag column will focus on an offseason review of the Raiders’ moves this spring.
Q: Do you think the defense has enough horses to improve from last year? Feels like the Raiders lost more on that side of the ball than they gained.
A: This is one of my concerns about the roster heading into the season. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I understand being economical with personnel decisions and keeping the bigger/long-term vision in mind by not wanting to overpay players. But the other end of that decision-making is that there’s a drop-off in talent from last year’s team.
Especially with the losses in the secondary and at linebacker, I am worried that the defense will regress or at least won’t improve from last season. It’s going to take great coaching jobs from Patrick Graham and Pete Carroll for the unit to get better. The good news is that both coaches have a history of getting the most out of their players.
Q: Are you confident in the Raiders’ linebackers at this point?
A: Building on the question and answer above, I don’t have much confidence in the linebackers since it’s a combination of role-playing veterans and unproven young players.
I like Elandon Roberts as a two-down defender, but he’s currently the best linebacker on the roster, and that’s worrisome. In my opinion, Devin White isn’t a starter in the NFL and is best as an off-ball blitzer on passing downs. The problem is that those two will likely be at the top of the depth chart heading into training camp.
Then there’s Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Cody Lindenberg, all of whom have potential. But, at this point, they don’t have the track record to be confident in them. Hopefully, one or two of those three step up and surprise us this year.
And, for good measure, the addition of Jaylon Smith doesn’t even budge the needle for me.
Q: What is a position group that the Raiders must address before training camp? Who are 3 or 4 realistic players that would have the largest impact if added?
A: This has been a popular question lately, as I believe it’s the third week in a row that it’s been asked, lol! So, I’ll use this as another opportunity to pound the table for Mike Hilton at nickel. Kendall Fuller is another interesting corner who has experience covering the slot and might be worth taking a look at, same with Arthur Maulet.
At linebacker, if Shaq Thompson is healthy, he’d be a good pickup. But Thompson has suffered significant leg injuries over the last two seasons: a broken fibula in 2023 and a torn Achilles last year. Eric Kendricks and Kyzir White are a couple of other names...
