Silver And Black Pride
Out went Robert Spillane. And in came Elandon Roberts.
And the results of that swap at middle linebacker is quite the mixed bag for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Spillane, who spent two seasons as the Mike for the Silver & Black’s defense and amassing 306 total tackles, 17 stops for loss, 5.5 sacks, five interceptions, and 11 pass deflections from 2023-24, inked a lucrative three-year, $33-million deal with $20.6 million fully guaranteed including a signing bonus with the New England Patriots. And to no surprise, the 29-year-old 6-foot-1 and 229-pound linebacker leads the Pats in tackles with 53 total to go along with one stop for loss, a sack, an interception, and two pass deflections.
To fill the void left by Spillane’s departure, the Raiders inked veteran Elandon Roberts to a a very modest-by-comparison one-year, $3.01 million deal with $2.5 million guaranteed. Like Spillane before him, Roberts arrived as a free agent signing from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 31-year-old 5-foot-11 and 235-pound linebacker is third on the team in tackles with 40 to go along with two stops for loss.
Run defense. Spillane is a freight train when diagnosing the run and has the size, speed, and physicality to get dirty in traffic. Ditto for Roberts. While he may be smaller, he’s more violent and has shown the penchant to blow up even offensive lineman enroute to stymieing the run.
Interestingly enough, Spillane and Roberts are similar in pass coverage, too.
Teams realized the second level of Las Vegas’ defense is suspect as best and throwing at linebackers is the route to go. And it’s stung the Raiders. Roberts hasn’t been targeted as frequently, but according to Pro Football Reference, the middle linebacker is charted for seven targets allowing five receptions for 71 yards. Quarterbacks targeting him sport a 103.9 rating with a 71.4 completion percentage. Watching him trail Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in coverage was not a sight fans want to see regularly. Roberts’ pass coverage career highlight came in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins where he housed the lone interception of his career for 85 yards. The quarterback who threw the pick six? Derek Carr.
Flip to Spillane, and Pro Football Reference charts him with 24 targets allowing 21 receptions for 196 yards. Quarterbacks throwing at him sport an 83.3 rating and a staggering 87.5 completion percentage. Spillane does have an interception under his belt. Of the yards allowed, Spillane yields 64 through the air and 132 as yards after catch (YAC). While he did snare five total interceptions as a Raider, Spillane’s two-year pass coverage stats read: 122 targets, 89 completions for 914 yards and six touchdowns given up. Quarterbacks sported a cumulative rating of 93.4 while completing 73 percent of their passes throwing at Spillane.
Besides contract status and long-term outlook, Spillane is the younger of the two and has cemented himself as a difference maker in the middle of...
