It is hard to sort through exactly what matters and what doesn't during the offseason program. And while Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that training camp performance will be weighted much more heavily, that doesn't mean that OTAs and mandatory minicamp are insignificant.
So, while the Silver and Black are somewhat downplaying Nakobe Dean's concerning absence from both OTAs and mandatory minicamp, someone had to step up in his place. Most fans figured that would be either free agent addition Segun Olubi or two-year veteran Tommy Eichenberg.
But apparently, it hasn't been either one of them. 2025 seventh-rounder Cody Lindenberg has stepped up alongside Quay Walker in Dean's absence, which may sound like a small detail. However, this and the hype surrounding Lindenberg matter much more than they seem.
Cody Lindenberg is stepping up for Las Vegas Raiders' linebacker group
Let's start with the basics: When Dean was suddenly not at offseason practices, Lindenberg reportedly filled in. The Raiders, like all teams at this point in the year, are rotating guys and getting different looks, so immediately reacting strongly didn't make much sense.
As Dean's absences continued, though, it seemed like Lindenberg fully settled into that role alongside Walker. More reports confirmed at mandatory minicamp that Lindenberg and Walker were the first-team linebacker duo, which paints a picture of him having the inside track to being LB3.
Obviously, if Dean is healthy, he'll start and play. Las Vegas invested a lot in the linebacker room this offseason to bolster its starting lineup, and Dean and Walker are the two best on the team. But Lindenberg is impressing the media during practices, and he could be the next guy to rotate in.
More important than his getting praise from the media, however, is getting praise from his teammates. When Walker spoke to reporters last week after mandatory minicamp practice, he had plenty of praise for the second-year linebacker.
"Honestly, man, Cody is a guy who's tremendously smart. Knows everything, know what everybody's supposed to be doing and stuff like that," Walker explained. "It's certain things that I feel like I can help him with, as in, being off the quarterback, whatever they may be. Just any little thing. So any advice I can give him, I try to just give it to him. And he's like a sponge. He soak up anything I give to him. He don't feel any type of way. I don't try to be on him as much. I still allow him to be himself, but if I can help in any way, I just try to do that, and he always listen to me. So shout out to Cody for sure."
Lindenberg has clearly earned the trust of his teammates and the coaching staff, as evidenced by Walker's comments and the Raiders' continued choice to put him with the first-team defense. That's quite a meteoric rise for a late Day 3 pick who didn't play a single defensive snap as a rookie.
That said, the small details become the big details. John Spytek and Klint Kubiak have preached that this offseason. And if Lindenberg is a staple in the starting lineup with Dean gone, then Raider Nation may know who the team will call on if the injury bug infects the linebacker room.
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