Which players make the team in the trenches?
Finally, I will detail both the defensive line and the linebacker corps. These groups feel a bit more straightforward as far as the numbers go, but there is a lot of uncertainty as far as the end of the roster at these positions.
For the linebacker room, it is no secret that Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, and Luke Masterson will once again be featured. Tommy Eichenberg, the rookie from Ohio State, has drawn high praise thus far so he appears safe as well, especially because he is a linebacker who was drafted by coach Pierce. The team will keep five in the room, and this will be a hotly contested battle.
Amari Burney was drafted by the team a season ago but has yet to show any promise, Darien Butler was added to the roster two years ago as an UDFA and played at Arizona State under Pierce, and Kana’i Mauga played a role on special teams at times last year for the Raiders. My gut tells me that Pierce will lean more toward a guy he is familiar with, and that’s why Butler will make the team.
I do see a situation where the team stashes multiple of the aforementioned guys on the practice squad and roll with four linebackers. This strategy could work because none of these guys would likely be scooped up by another team.
As far as the defensive line is concerned, I’ll break it up into defensive tackles and defensive ends. The defensive tackle group is pretty cut and dry; Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, and Adam Butler will be in the rotation, and the rest is a big question mark. They will keep at least two more players on the roster at this position, likely three, and there are plenty of homegrown guys in contention.
Matthew Butler, Nesta Jade Silvera, and Byron Young were all drafted by the team in recent years, and undrafted additions this year like Tomari Fox and Noah Shannon both make compelling arguments to be included as well. Based on last season, Jade Silvera is the only one who should and will make the roster.
Both Butler and Young were inactive for the majority of the season, so I am not too confident in either of them. Pierce and company will likely roll with Young because of the third-round capital that was invested in him, but I would not be surprised to see either of the undrafted guys emerge for a sixth spot.
When it comes to the edge rushers, there has not been a huge need for depth in years past. Crosby will play every down that he is physically able to, and both Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson showed a great deal of promise last year. The fourth edge rusher, however, is a little bit interesting. Charles Snowden has been gaining traction in camp, and Ron Stone Jr. is an intriguing UDFA, but Janarius Robinson will almost certainly be the fourth guy.
He emerged at the end of last season, recording a sack and TFL against the Vikings and three tackles in the Christmas Day victory over the Chiefs. Robinson is the same age as Snowden but with 3 more years of NFL experience under his belt, so barring an elite performance from either him or Stone Jr., Robinson will be on the opening day roster.
This goes without saying, but the team’s three specialists (K Daniel Carlson, P A.J. Cole, and LS Jacob Bobenmoyer) will be the same as last year, and there will be no competition.