The Las Vegas Raiders' new leadership tandem of John Spytek and Pete Carroll was on a mission to overturn the roster ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Obviously, it will take more than one offseason to turn this franchise into a contender, but they have laid the proper pieces down in recent months.
Not only did the Raiders grab several promising young players in the draft, but they chose to save their money in free agency as well. Of course, this netted them a handful of underwhelming players on paper, particularly on defense, so the expectations were low for Las Vegas in Week 1.
A majority of Patrick Graham's unit is now reclamation projects, as he was tasked with taking draft busts or players at the end of their rope and turning them into solid pieces for the Raiders. Graham has been adept at this with linebackers, especially, and he is sparking yet another turnaround.
Devin White was Raiders' biggest surprise in Week 1 vs. Patriots
Before Las Vegas' season opener against the New England Patriots on Sunday, veteran linebacker Devin White had his back against the wall. Of course, he was a low-risk proposition given his one-year, $1.17 million non-guaranteed contract, but he was slated to be a starter.
After a shaky preseason and varying reports out of OTAs and training camp, Raider Nation was nervous about how he would perform against what many thought would be a good Patriots offense led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
However, White silenced any doubters he had with his strongest performance in several seasons. In the box score, he tallied a team-high 11 total tackles and eight solo tackles, and he also chipped in a tackle for a loss. But the advanced metrics made him look even better.
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According to Pro Football Focus, he was the sixth-highest graded player on the Las Vegas defense overall. He also recorded the highest tackling grade and second-highest pass-rush grade on the team, tied with Maxx Crosby.
White was also surprisingly stout in pass coverage, giving up just two receptions for 14 yards on five targets. Maye had just a 47.9 QBR when targeting him, and White had no penalties or missed tackles on Sunday.
If he can continue to play at this level all season, the Raiders may have an embarrassment of riches at linebacker despite heavy turnover in the offseason. Las Vegas was certainly not expecting this of White, but it seems like Patrick Graham has worked his magic again.