The Las Vegas Raiders made a bold gamble this offseason when they let both of their starting linebackers from the last two seasons walk in free agency without a contract. Robert Spillane is now a New England Patriot, and Divine Deablo is now an Atlanta Falcon.
New general manager John Spytek replaced these players with free agents Elandon Roberts and Devin White, and later, Jaylon Smith. However, the late signings of linebackers Germaine Pratt and Jamal Adams have taken some of the shine off the team's earlier additions.
Many in Raider Nation are prepared to see a starting tandem of Roberts and Pratt, with young players like Tommy Eichenberg and Amari Gainer mixing in. One of the aforementioned veterans put together a strong performance on the first day of padded practice, though, which added to the competition.
Devin White is starting to make plays at Raiders training camp
Vegas Sports Today's Mike Dixon was on hand at the Raiders' facility in Henderson, Nevada, on Monday. He noted that White, in particular, had a collection of great plays on the first day of padded practice for the Silver and Black.
"Raiders linebacker Devin White with two good back-to-back plays, and (he got) another stop on third down," Dixon wrote.
This is particularly notable for White because it seemed like he had fallen behind in the linebacker competition prior to this. Eichenberg was reportedly taking first-team reps, and there were no reports about White's play whatsoever despite Pratt sitting out a practice with hamstring tightness.
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White does not have a history of being particularly strong in pass coverage, as he is most known for his pass-rushing ability that earned him Second-Team All-Pro honors as a second-year player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So, when the six-year veteran got the chance to put the pads on and demonstrate what he was capable of in a full-fledged defense, he was able to stand out a bit more among his peers. White will need to continue stacking days and performances like this if he hopes to carve out a role in 2025.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has showcased his ability to turn no-name linebackers into Pro Bowl-level players with the Silver and Black. But, he has not yet been tested with a veteran player who is attempting to prove that they are not on the downslope of their career.
White's ultimate success, or lack there of, will be the perfect test of this.