Ranking the Raiders defensive position groups against the AFC West

Linebackers

One of the bigger areas of need for the Las Vegas Raiders entering the offseason, the team revamped their linebacker room, bringing in talented players who are going to have an impact right away. No longer a liability, expect this position group to make the biggest jump in terms of production this season.

A year ago, the Raiders’ linebackers were at the very bottom of not only the division but also of the entire league. However, the additions of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski change all of that.

Littleton was a prized free-agent because he’s been one of the best backers in coverage the last couple of years, and Kwiatkoski is a well-rounded player who just needed to find a place where he can get more playing time. Gruden and Mayock deserve a lot of credit for turning the team’s weakness into a strength.

Alexander Johnson may not be a household name, but he had an impressive season in 2019, racking up 93 total tackles, five of which were for a loss. Meanwhile, Todd Davis has also quietly put together a nice six-year career, with back-to-back seasons of triple-digit tackles in 2018 and 2019.

What gives Las Vegas the leg up over Denver here is Davis’ coverage ability. He allowed a passer rating of 106.8 when targeted last year, whereas Littleton’s figure was 94.0, and Kwiatkoski’s was 66.0.

The Chargers are a bit of a wildcard when it comes to their linebacking corps this season. Los Angeles is projected to start first-round pick Kenneth Murray and free-agent acquisition Nick Vigil, who had a good year in 2019 with 111 total tackles and a 72.9 passer rating when targeted.

It will be interesting to see how the revamped position group plays out for the Bolts. Murray was an Alpha at the University of Oklahoma, and many viewed him as the best pure linebacker in the 2020 draft class.

Finally, a position group the Chiefs are weak at! Anthony Hitchens was abysmal last season as he missed 12 tackles and surrendered a passer rating of 110.4 when targeted. Kansas City’s other starter, Damien Wilson was better but still not good as he missed six tackles and gave up a 95.0 passer rating.

Rookie and NFL Combine freak Willie Gay will likely replace one of these two at some point, but he’s a huge question mark since he only played in five games for Mississippi State in 2020. If there is one Achilles heel on this Chiefs roster, it is the linebacker group.