The Las Vegas Raiders' linebacker room underwent plenty of changes this offseason. Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo were replaced with Elandon Roberts and Devin White, and the team added a handful of other veterans like Jaylon Smith, Germaine Pratt and Jamal Adams to fill in the gaps.
Unfortunately, Roberts and White have underperformed for the majority of the season, Smith did not make the team, and Pratt had some sort of dispute in Las Vegas that led to his sudden and shocking release from the Raiders after Week 5.
But Adams has been a revelation for the unit this season, and both White and Roberts put together their best performances of the year in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans. Flying under the radar, however, is a young linebacker whom Pete Caroll praised after the game.
Raiders unheralded linebacker takes advantage of opportunity
The Raiders' linebacker room was a key cog in the Raiders' 20-10 win over the Titans at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. As expected, White, Roberts and Adams were given most of the reps in the first full week without Pratt.
But there was one other linebacker, second-year player Tommy Eichenberg, who saw the field for Las Vegas' defense. The Raiders' head coach discussed what he saw from the fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft during Week 6's game while also praising the veterans in the room.
"Tommy got a dozen plays or so yesterday, (he) did a nice job when he had his chance," Carroll said. "(White, Adams and Roberts are) such good, symbolic type of linebackers. I mean, they really talk the talk and walk the walk, and they're physical as hell, and you can't ask for more in terms of setting the tone of what's expected and all that. So, yeah, Tommy can jump in anytime and play for us. He's ready to go."
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Eichenberg was forced into action during the Raiders' season opener after Roberts left the game with an injury, playing 14 snaps on defense. While he played well in the role, he had been relegated to only special teams duties ever since, failing to play a single defensive snap from Weeks 2 to 5.
That changed in Week 6 following Pratt's release, as he was on the field for 12 defensive snaps, recording two total tackles. Eichenberg had the highest tackling grade, 74.9, of any of Las Vegas' linebackers, and the third-highest mark on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
Barring an injury to the players ahead of him on the depth chart, Eichenberg is unlikely to make a major impact this season, but the young linebacker could have a bright future ahead of him. Carroll said as much, so hopefully he gets more playing time as a youth movement potentially gets under way for the Raiders.