The Las Vegas Raiders' new regime came in this offseason and took a wrecking ball to the defense. Surprisingly, they retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, but gone are six of the team's Week 1 starters from the 2024 season.
This included the departures of both starting linebackers, Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo. While general manager John Spytek added Elandon Roberts and Devin White in their place, most of Raider Nation felt that the team still needed to bolster its linebacker corps after free agency.
Veteran Jaylon Smith was signed after the team only found seventh-rounder Cody Lindenberg during the 2025 NFL Draft. Smith was seen as a key addition with experience in Graham's system that should make the roster as the final dependable piece in the room.
Jaylon Smith may be the odd man out in Raiders' LB room
However, in early June, the Cincinnati Bengals released longtime starting linebacker Germaine Pratt, and the Raiders wasted no time scooping him up. Now, with Pratt projected to start alongside Roberts and White serving as the key reserve, Smith may be the odd man out in Las Vegas.
Experience is a valuable asset to bring to a young group, but all of a sudden, the Raiders' linebacker room is not so young anymore. Three veterans are projected to take the majority of the snaps, and young players need to remain on the roster in order to build for the future.
Second-year players Tommy Eichenberg and Amari Gainer have played solidly throughout the offseason as well, which makes things even more difficult for Smith. While the original plan may have been for Smith to contribute, the addition of Pratt sealed his fate a bit.
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Smith was a Pro Bowler for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, but his production has dropped off immensely since then. He last appeared in the NFL in 2023, when he played just one game for the Raiders before being waived two weeks later.
Pratt has spent the last six years with the Bengals and was a pivotal part of the team's Super Bowl run during the 2021 season. He has 616 career tackles, including 32 for a loss, as well as seven interceptions, 23 passes defended and seven forced fumbles.
Las Vegas could still choose to lean heavily on linebackers and keep Smith in the rotation, but it is more likely that they will rely on Pratt, Roberts and White to play a majority of the snaps while they focus on developing Eichenberg, Gainer and Lindenberg. This means that Smith could be on the outside looking in come Week 1.