Las Vegas Raiders: 3 potential free agent targets at linebacker
By Matt Holder
Joe Schobert
If Littleton is the gold medal of this year’s free-agent linebacker class, Joe Schobert is a very respectable silver medal. Schobert may not be a household name but that’s primarily because he played for the Browns, an organization synonymous with losing.
Despite the team’s record, the 2016 fourth-round pick played at a very high level. His four interceptions this past year were the second-most among the position, and he allowed a passer rating of 74.6 to go along with 6.5 yards per target. To say Schobert would be an upgrade for Las Vegas is an understatement as Nicholas Morrow was the team’s best coverage linebacker and he only managed one take away, a passer rating of 97.7 when targeted, and 7.4 yards per target.
Along the same lines as Littleton, Schobert has his deficiencies as run-defender. Over the past two seasons, the former Brown has accumulated 10 tackles for loss which is tied for 65th among linebackers, and he posted a bottom-tier PFF run-defense grade in 2019. Again, this could be a cause for concern among the Raiders’ decision-makers.
As far as a new contract goes, I expect him to land a new deal in about the $10 to $12 million per year range. That amount would place him among the likes of Jaylon Smith, Benardrick McKinney, and Eric Kendricks, per OverTheCap.