Las Vegas Raiders: Linebacker additions who fit Gus Bradley’s scheme
By BD Williams
With the news of Gus Bradley’s hiring, the Las Vegas Raiders will undergo a scheme change on defense for the first time during Jon Gruden’s tenure. Thus far, the front office has been making personnel decisions based on input from the coaching staff on players that fit their scheme.
The Raiders draft picks on the defensive side of the ball have had mostly underwhelming success, albeit a strong rookie season from Maxx Crosby and Trayvon Mullen, every defender seemed to have taken a step backward in their development in 2020 under Paul Guenther.
Bradley should leave fans more optimistic given his track record of getting mid to late-round picks to develop at Pro Bowl-caliber levels in his defense. On the one hand, Bradley has his hands full getting the most out of the already substantial draft capital the Raiders have invested on the defensive side of the ball in recent years, not to mention big-money free agents; Lamarcus Joyner, Nick Kwiatkoski, Cory Littleton, and Carl Nassib.
One thing to consider, however, is the Raiders’ defensive roster is currently constructed to field a 4-3 Over defense. Bradley, on the other hand, has been known to field a 4-3 Under defense, which at first blush resembles a 3-4 in that there will traditionally be five defenders on the line of scrimmage, especially on obvious run downs.
In an under the front, the Sam Linebacker will be on the line of scrimmage outside shade of the tight end and is tasked with setting the edge.
Raiders fans should already be familiar with this style of defense since Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin interchangeably played these positions under Ken Norton Jr. and Jack Del Rio. Norton Jr., of course, comes from the same system as Gus Bradley, as both were defensive assistants in Seattle.
The only problem is the Raiders don’t currently have a linebacker who is an edge type of player on the roster. Kwiatkoski and Raekwon McMillan are Mike linebackers, Littleton is a Will Linebacker, and Morrow perhaps could play both. Guys like Tanner Muse and Javin White are safety converts, so that’s definitely not the right position for them to play.
The proto-typical Sam Linebacker in an Under Front is a player who can play man coverage on Tight Ends, drop into short zones, and become a primary pass rusher when the defense goes into nickel sub-packages.
The Raiders have a chance to expand their scheme capabilities by adding this type of player in draft or free agency while potentially adding another pass rusher to improve the sack production on Nickel downs.