While the Raiders made significant strides forward as a team in 2019, it’s still a roster with a lot of holes. They need to address their wide receiver situation, defensive tackle, cornerback, and potentially safety if Karl Joseph leaves in free agency.
However, you can make a case that linebacker is their biggest position of need. Tahir Whitehead has been reliable over the past two seasons, but he has been less than stellar. Outside of him, the unit lacks speed and athleticism.
In a recent article by Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, he named the linebacker spot as the biggest weakness heading into free agency. Take a look at his thoughts on Whitehead and on the position as a whole:
Outside linebacker Tahir Whitehead has been the only player to successfully navigate its gravitational pull in recent years. In fact, Whitehead has started 32 straight games for the Raiders. But the other two linebacker spots have been a constant churn of forgettable names and disappointment. The Raiders should do something about that rather than concentrating on other areas of need.
Sobleski named Kyle Van Noy as a potential free agent solution, but he is more of a hybrid 3-4 player than a true middle or weakside linebacker. If the Raiders do decide to bring in a veteran free agent, look for Corey Littleton or Joe Schobert to be potential options.
Either way, linebacker will undoubtedly be a position Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden try to upgrade this offseason. Look for them to sign a few free agents on top of using draft picks to fill this need.
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