The Las Vegas Raiders have made a slew of intriguing free agency moves this offseason under new general manager John Spytek. While the team may not be signing household names, their additions have been predicated on adding big, physical players who have a cheap price tag and can be developed into legitimate NFL talents.
On Friday, however, the team made a deal with linebacker Devin White, who rose to stardom in the NFL after being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and earning All-Pro honors in his second professional season. He did fall on hard times a bit, as he spent time with two different franchises last season, and his production took a major hit in 2024.
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However, White is still 27 years old and has plenty of good football left to play. Spytek knows him from his days in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' front office, and this familiar face should shake up the depth chart for the Raiders' linebackers.
Raiders updated linebacker depth chart after signing Devin White
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been incredible at developing linebackers in recent years, as evidenced by his work with Denzel Perryman and Robert Spillane, both of whom were afterthoughts when the organization acquired them.
That's why Spytek did not hesitate to let Spillane and Divine Deablo leave for bigger contracts this offseason, as he believed in Graham's ability to do more with less. The team will likely add a linebacker in the draft, and there are several other high-end players available at the position, but this is where the team's depth chart likely stands as of now:
- Starters: Elandon Roberts, Devin White
- Backups: Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Burney, Amari Gainer
- Depth: Brandon Smith, Jackson Mitchell
While Roberts and White can impact the game in a variety of ways, especially by stuffing the run, neither of them were every-down linebackers last season. Roberts has had his struggles in coverage over his career, but White, despite the flak he receives for being unable to cover, has not allowed a quarterback rating over 70.0 when targeted since 2022.
Still, this Raiders' linebacker room will need to be a rotation and will, therefore, rely on depth. Eichenberg was not given much of an opportunity last season, nor was Gainer after a tremendous preseason for the franchise. However, they may be relied on heavily this year to contribute behind Roberts and White, who both have their limitations as players.
Burney has not played extremely well thus far in his NFL career, but he may be forced to rotate in, as he is the longest-tenured player of the group in Graham's defense. Both Smith and Mitchell have some nice attributes but are untested in the NFL, so they likely factor in as depth pieces who will either be on the practice squad or the chopping block come September, barring a breakout.