There has been plenty of talk during this extended off-season about the Raiders making the move to a 3-4. Unless they draft wisely or by some miracle actually get to sign free agents, then that seems highly unlikely given the current personnel. Sure, plenty of the recent additions have been of the OLB/DE hybrid variety. But given the amount of money invested in the defensive line and the fact that there just isn’t the depth at linebacker, it would seem a move to be made at a later time.

The linebacking core wasn’t exactly a strength last year though there were plenty of key contributions throughout the season.

Kamerion Wimbley arrived in the East Bay as a Cleveland castoff. He emerged as a pass rushing dynamo with a $10-million franchise tag. Wimbley’s presence helped revitalize a defense that had been without a consistent pass rusher since the decline and subsequent departure of Derrick Burgess.

If the Raiders have any designs on making the move to a 3-4 then they’re going to need more guys like Wimbley who are as comfortable standing as they are getting down into a three-point stance. Wimbley might not be one of the better assets against the run but that’s where Rolando McClain comes in.
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