For the last decade, the linebacker position has haunted the Raiders. Despite spending a bunch of draft picks and free-agent dollars, the team hasn’t been able to find competent linebacker play in years.
But the Raiders believe they have fixed their problems at linebacker after signing two of the best free-agent linebackers on the market in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. Both players are still in the primes of their career and excel in pass coverage, something the Raiders haven’t had in years.
Depth could still be an issue as the team will rely on Nicholas Morrow and Tanner Muse to be the team’s primary backups. However, the team still has one of the best linebacker units in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Mike Clay.
In a recent piece by Clay, he ranked every team’s positional group from 1-32 heading into the 2020 season. Surprisingly, the Raiders’ highest-ranking came at linebacker as Clay put them at No. 7. Take a look at his thoughts on the unit entering the season:
This unit got a major makeover during the offseason, with aforementioned (Cory) Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski signed to handle a bulk of the snaps. The veteran duo combined for 202 tackles and 6.5 sacks with the Rams and Bears, respectively, last season. They’ll be joined by fellow newcomer Tanner Muse, a third-round rookie.
If the Raiders’ linebackers can play like a top-10 unit, it would make for a dramatic difference in their defense. For years, teams were able to scheme their offense around the traditionally slow linebacker play for the Raiders and it cost them dearly. That shouldn’t be an issue this season as they have one of the most athletic linebacker duos in the NFL in Littleton and Kwiatkoski.
Look for the Raiders to finally have solid linebacker play for the first time in several years in 2020.
[vertical-gallery id=70021]
[lawrence-newsletter]