Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek is impressing a lot of folks this offseason. Losing Maxx Crosby is never fun, but he held his ground and turned the superstar into some premier draft capital. Oh, and his work during Monday's legal tampering period was very promising.
The fireworks were set off when the best available free agent on the market agreed to a deal to become the anchor of an offensive line that ranked near the bottom of the NFL last season. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for Spytek to kick off free agency.
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Tyler Linderbaum instantly fortifies the trenches for a team that gave up 64 sacks in 2025. Linderbaum and the rest of the line allowed 20 fewer sacks in Baltimore. Imagine Las Vegas plugging in another guard or tackle in the draft, and suddenly the line goes from a problem to one of the NFL's best.
At wideout, Jalen Nailor doesn't move the needle much, but the Raiders could opt for drafting another one early within the next two years, which would make people forget about giving him 12 million a year.
For the special teams portion of the palate, Matt Gay is a journeyman who could get pushed by a kicker that is not on the roster yet. He has certainly declined in the last few years, but it wasn't all that long ago that he was among the NFL's best.
On defense, the Raiders agreed to terms with three new starters and re-signed two more capable starters. Kwity Paye has a non-stop motor and is getting immediate help on the edge that he didn't have in Indianapolis.
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Quay Walker doesn't miss many tackles, but is a liability in coverage and Nakobe Dean was a steal in the 2022 draft, when he's not on the sidelines. The linebacker room went from a weakness to the most improved position group on defense in the matter of hours.
The plan for the draft appears to be a defensive end or a cornerback with the 14th pick or using the new picks to trade up for a top 10 player to join Fernando Mendoza. Prioritizing either one of those positions on defense is only going to provide more hope for a quicker turnaround in a division that isn't getting any easier.
Don't rule out trading for another veteran like they did with Taron Johnson either. Brian Thomas Jr. or Jalen Carter would send this fanbase through the roof if Spytek pulled off that blockbuster. There are still several holes to fill, but the Raiders are better then they were a week ago.