News Raiders Team Notes

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Even with Germaine Pratt’s addition, Raiders linebackers still patchwork unit

Linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) is no stranger to the Las Vegas Raiders. He helped end the Silver & Black’s playoff run in 2021 with a game-ending interception in the Wild Card round. | Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Veteran adds much-needed depth and experience but Las Vegas long-term planning at position group needs focus

Sometimes, football fate meets football reality.

Such is the case for Germaine Pratt and the Las Vegas Raiders.

When the veteran linebacker found himself cast aside by the Cincinnati Bengals — the team that drafted him in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft — the proclamations the Silver & Black sign a much-needed defender to bolster a position of need arrived faster and with more determination than Bo Jackson when he took the handoff against the Seattle Seahawks back in 1987.

Raider Nation and reporters alike quickly connected the dots on a Pratt-Raiders union. And just two days after the Bengals released their former team captain and stalwart linebacker, Pratt and Las Vegas agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $4.25 million.

As our Matt Holder delved into mid-June, the 29-year-old adds another quality run defender to the Raiders linebacker corps. Pratt is an instinctual linebacker who can diagnose quickly, use his strength to blast blockers backwards, and is patient to not get lost in the flow of traffic. His 143 total tackles and five stops for loss in 2024 along with his total sum of 118 tackles and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage in 2023 are a testament to Pratt’s skillset.

I will never forget you, Germaine Pratt. One of the happiest moments of my life. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/fUTEGpVRL3

— Jacob Tissot (@jacobtissot) June 9, 2025​

But even with the addition of the 6-foot-3 and 250-pound North Carolina State product (the same school that produced current Raiders wider receiver Jakobi Meyers and punter AJ Cole III), Las Vegas linebacker room remains a patchwork unit.

And the long-term outlook on the position group is equally as hodgepodge.

Veteran Affairs​

The group of Pratt, Elandon Roberts (31 years old), Devin White (27), and Jaylon Smith (30) are the old heads of the Raiders linebacker room.

Roberts, the elder statesman, heads into year 10 in the NFL after arriving to the scene as a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft by the New England Patriots. Smith, the second oldest, heads into his seventh season and is a reclamation project as he came into league as the Dallas Cowboys’ second-round pick in the 2016 draft.

White, the youngest of the veteran group heads into year seven and is another reclamation project as he was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fifth-overall pick in the 2019 draft.

#Raiders LB Devin White talks on being an “energy” guy & trying to match @CrosbyMaxx’s energy. pic.twitter.com/tTv0RSJBzM

— Heidi Fang (@HeidiFang) June 11, 2025​

Each of those aforementioned names are on one-year deals and have plenty to prove to themselves, the Raiders, and the rest of the NFL. Pratt and Roberts represent the most defensive snaps and production out of the veteran group with the former logging 1,078 snaps in 17 games (17 starts) with the Bengals in 2024 with the latter earning 478 snaps in 17 games (14 starts).

In comparison, White played only 176 defensive snaps in 2024 while Smith didn’t play this past season. So it’s clear-cut competition for the vets and younger linebackers on the roster with one glaring item still to be seen: Just how many linebackers will the Raiders deploy on defense?

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham used a 4-2-5 base alignment for much of his tenure calling the plays and that’ll leave two “starting” spots if that remains to be the case in 2025 and beyond.

The Young Ones​

Of the 10 total linebackers on the Raiders 90-man roster, 6 are 25 years old and under.

Amari Gainer, an undrafted free agent, is a popular youngster amongst Raider Nation as he’s got the size (6-foot-3 and 236 pounds) that seems to fit the bill. He’s the oldest of the younger crop and was a special teamer as a rookie last year. Tommy Eichenberg, who Las Vegas picked in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, also has good size at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds. The 24-year-old spent his rookie season as a special teams mainstay.

Cody Lindenberg is the Raiders latest rookie (seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft) linebacker coming from Minnesota. He, too, has good size at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds and has even worn the green dot on second team defense in Las Vegas’ mandatory minicamp this past month.

That group is joined by Michael Barrett (second year, undrafted, 25 years old, Michigan) and two new undrafted rookies in: Matt Jones (24, Baylor) and Jailin Walker (22, Indiana).

Love how Cody Lindenberg takes command of the defense pre-snap, also a well-timed blitz here to make the tackle near the LOS #Raiders pic.twitter.com/Y2jkHtIKLL

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) May 13, 2025​

Long-Term Projection​

Pratt, Roberts, White and the rest of the linebackers on one-year pacts can rise to the occasion and earn a nifty pay day next offseason. Said players could also re-up with the Raiders on a contract extension.

But the prove-it-type deals are indicative of the roster building general manager John Spytek and general manager Pete Carroll are engaging in. Let’s see what we got and determine needs as the season progresses and next offseason (free agency and draft).

There’s also a chance the younger linebackers like Gainer, Lindenberg, or Walker step up to stake their claim as roster-worthy types that either contribute on defense or provide ample snaps on special teams that older veterans tend to steer away from.

But that’s a ton of could and should above, however.

And, overall, pass coverage remains a concern amongst the entire group of linebackers.

Let’s see if the Raiders can shore that up as the offseason progresses.

Extra Points: Going back to the 2000 draft, the Silver & Black here’s the list of linebackers selected. Take note that the team tends to use middle to late round picks on the position group over this particular course of time:

• Napoleon Harris, 23rd overall, 2002
• Cody Spencer, 182nd overall, 2004
• Kirk Morrison, 78th overall, 2005
• Thomas Howard, 38th overall, 2006
• Darnell Bing, 101th overall, 2006
• Rolando McClain, 8th overall, 2010
• Travis Goethel, 190th overall, 2010
• Miles Burris, 129th overall, 2012
• Nathan Stupar, 230th overall, 2012
• Sio Moore, 66th overall, 2013
• Khalil Mack, 5th overall, 2014* (edge rusher)
• Ben Heeney, 140th overall, 2015
• Neiron Ball, 161th overall, 2015
• Max Valles, 179th overall, 2015* (edge rusher)
• Cory James, 194th overall, 2016
• Marquel Lee, 168th overall, 2017
• Azeem Victor, 216th overall, 2018
• Divine Deablo, 80th overall, 2021
• Amari Burney, 203rd overall, 2023
• Tommy Eichenberg, 148th overall, 2024
• Cody Lindenberg, 222nd overall, 2025

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2025/7/2/24456479/raiders-2025-germaine-pratt-linebacker

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Free agents who make sense for the Las Vegas Raiders

Safety Justin Simmons, right, celebrates his fourth-quarter interception against the Las Vegas Raiders. Simmons played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and is an unrestricted free agent. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Veterans like Justin Simmons, Mike Hilton, Quinton Jefferson can fill needs, bolster Silver & Black defense

We’ve rounded the corner past June we’re about three weeks out from the kickoff to Las Vegas Raiders training camp.

It’s an integral offseason in the augural year with general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll at the helm and when rookies kick off camp July 17, the hard work and grind the Silver & Black are engaging in with eyes of competing and not floundering in 2025 recommences.

The veterans follow their neophyte counterparts on July 22 and we’ll find out plenty about this rendition of the Raiders. Pads will come on and the competition should begin to produce expected starters. And when Carroll and his Raiders meet the Seattle Seahawks (his former team) on August 7 to kick off preseason play, we’ll learn even more.

As NFL teams embark on their respective training camps, rosters sit at 90. According to both Over The Cap and Spotrac, Las Vegas has about $31.2-plus or $31.8-plus million in cap space available. And with that in mind, let’s take a look at available free agents that make sense for the Raiders.

How is Justin Simmons still a free agent???#NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/GrdlwUCRJl

— Locker (@PlayLockerLive) July 21, 2024​

Justin Simmons, Safety​

I’m surprised Simmons remains on the open market as the Boston College product is an impact defensive back since his arrival to the NFL as the Denver Broncos’ third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

He’s older at 31 but is a 6-foot-2 and 202-pound safety who remained an effective safety and takeaway artist for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 (62 total tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass deflections). Pro Football Reference charted Simmons as allowing 22 receptions on 37 targets for 229 yards and three touchdowns. The 59.5 percent completion rate he allowed when quarterbacks targeted him is impressive.

Simmons has the size, awareness, instincts, and capability to be a thief on the Raiders back end and would be a better option in three-safety alignments alongside Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao than Lonnie Johnson Jr. (who is of similar size, but two years younger).

That all said, with the Pittsburgh Steelers trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to acquire cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins, there’s another AFC squad who needs a safety.

Mike Hilton, Cornerback​

I’m pretty sure everyone has written about Hilton at this point.

Yet, Las Vegas’ depth at the slot/nickel cornerback spot is less than ideal and despite being 31 and “only” 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, the Mississippi product plays much bigger than his size and is a fierce defender.

Hilton’s 24 total tackles for loss the last two seasons (12 in 2023 and 2024) showcase the cornerback’s ability to mix it up and get dirty where many others simply make “business decisions”.

Hilton isn’t a volume interception machine (one in 2024, two in 2023, one in 2022 as examples) but holds up well in coverage and he’s accustomed to be activated on the blitz — something Graham likes to do with his defensive backs both against the run and pass.

Never let your guard down when Quinton Jefferson is around pic.twitter.com/8T1t16ysoV

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 10, 2022​

Quinton Jefferson, Defensive Tackle​

Now here’s a defender that’s no stranger to either Carroll or the Raiders.

While the defensive tackle position has intriguing young pieces along with veteran leadership, the absence of Christian Wilkins looms large and Adam Bulter could use another savvy vet in the trenches. While the 32-year-old Jefferson hasn’t been a multi-game starter over his nine-year career, he did play in and start 17 games for the Raiders back in 2021 and racked up 47 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and five tackles for loss.

As a rotational pass rushing-type tackle, Jefferson still has the juice to get in the backfield and brings decent size and movement at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds. Jefferson is coming off a 2024 campaign where he finished with 14 total tackles and two sacks. But he did have a solid 2023 season with the New York Jets (34 total tackles, career high six sacks, and four tackles for loss).

Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver​

Do the Raiders really need a veteran possession receiver who turned 33 not to long ago?

With Jakobi Meyers as the only established wideout on Las Vegas roster, Allen can come in and compete for the WR1 role from the jump. His 2024 campaign may have been light (70 catches for 744 yards in 15 games (15 starts)), Allen still hauled in seven touchdowns for the Chicago Bears last year.

The connection to the Raiders is present as wide receivers coach Chris Beatty was Allen’s position coach with the Los Angels Chargers (2021-23) and then the Bears this past season. With his precise route running, Allen can be an ample and productive target for quarterback Geno Smith in Las Vegas.

Neville Hewitt has become one of the best special teams players in the NFL.

Hewitt knew he had to change his mindset if he wanted to remain in the NFL.

️@Neville_Hewitt: "Every business, you gotta have a niche. You gotta be good at something."

pic.twitter.com/74RK88JF9o

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelV) December 1, 2024​

Neville Hewitt, Linebacker​

A career special teamer who shines when given the opportunity on defense, Neville would be another patchwork-type defender the second level of Las Vegas defense. But the 32-year-old Marshall product brings something other Raiders linebackers don’t: Pass coverage chops.

The 6-foot-2 and 234-pound linebacker is a nuisance when dropping back in coverage and, last year with the Houston Texans, Neville was targeted 14 times allowing nine completions for 68 yards and one touchdown. The lone season where he was an every-down linebacker in 2020 with the New York Jets, Neville amassed 134 total tackles, two sacks, and four pass deflections.

He may not be an every-down defender anymore, but Neville would be a nice add as a rotational/situational cover linebacker.

Dalton Risner, Guard​

The Raiders have a mauler at center in second-year pivot Jackson Powers-Johnson, so why not add another one to the mix right next to him?

Risner is a well-built 6-foot-5 and 312 interior lineman who played primarily at left guard since being taken in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Denver Broncos. He played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 and 2024 mixing in at both left and right guard spots during his two seasons there.

Las Vegas is having an open competition at the left guard spot and adding Risner — a blocker with a mean streak — into the fight with Dylan Parham, Jordan Meredith, and Thayer Munford Jr. will only ensure the Raiders find the best option on the left side. Shoot, Risner could potentially give Alex Cappa a run for his money on the right side.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2025/7/3/24456451/raiders-2025-justin-simmons-free-agents

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Silver Minings: How fourth quarter changed things

Ashton Jeanty | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Raiders were on pace for top pick

That’s why they play a full four quarters, I suppose.

NFL draft status can be fleeting. After all, the Las Vegas Raiders looked like they were primed to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft until they won’t back-to-back Week 16 and 17 games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints to tumble away from the top pick.

Their fourth-quarter play also played a role. Recently NFL analyst Warren Sharp looked at what the 2024 team records for each team would be if games ended after third third quarter. In that scenario, the Raiders would have had the No. 1 overall pick with a 2-15 mark. Here is the full list:

2024 record if games ended after the 3rd qtr:

14-3 - Detroit Lions
12-3-2 - Los Angeles Chargers
12-4-1 - Buffalo Bills
12-5 - Houston Texans
12-5 - Philadelphia Eagles
12-5 - Washington Commanders
11-5-1 - Denver Broncos
11-5-1 - Minnesota Vikings
10-5-2 -…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 18, 2025​

So, things changed dramatically for the Raiders who ended up with the No. 6 overall pick and running back Ashton Jeanty.

That’s why they play the full games.

In other Raiders news:

• WR pre: The Raiders’ website previews their wide receiver group.
• One question: The Athletic has a lingering question for every NFL team.
• Hometown love: Las Vegas native and Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu gives back to the community.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2025/7/4/24451518/raiders-news-fourth-quarter-changed-record

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Brown, Rice or Porter for WR1 on 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?

Jerry Rice, Tim Brown | Photo by Bob Falcetti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Coincidentally, all three wideouts were on the same team for a few years

Despite the last 25 years being a dark period for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, the franchise has had several quality wide receivers during that timeframe.

In addition to Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Jerry Porter, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Hunter Renfrow all had strong cases to be listed as nominees for the No. 1 wide receiver on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team. However, it’s hard to go against three wideouts who rank in the top 15 for the most receiving yards in franchise history, despite all three playing on the same team from 2001 to 2003.

For clarity, we’ll be doing two wide receiver polls, where the two losers will here be included in the No. 2 wide receiver poll. However, since we included a fullback, there will only be two wide receiver spots to keep the offense to 11 players. Also, there might be a couple of positions between the receiver polls to allow enough time to collect votes.

Tim Brown​

James D. Smith-Imagn Images
Tim Brown

Raiders Stats (2000-2003): 300 catches, 3,790 yards, 24 TDs (4 seasons, 64 games)

Accolades (2000-2003): Pro Bowl (2001)

For clarity, Brown is the franchise leader in every major statistical category among Raiders receivers, racking up 1,070 catches, 14,734 yards and 99 touchdowns during his 16 seasons. However, we’re focusing on what each player has done in the last quarter century. But even if we just took his production since 2000, he’d rank sixth in receptions, ninth in yards and tied for 15th in touchdowns all-time. Mr. Raider was also a key fixture in Oakland’s offense during the team’s three consecutive playoff runs from 2000 to 2002.

Jerry Rice​

Photo by David Madison/Getty Images
Jerry Rice

Raiders Stats: 243 catches, 3,286 yards, 18 TDs (4 seasons, 54 games)

Accolades: Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro (2002)

While he gained more notoriety for his work across the Bay, Rice’s tenure with the Raiders in the early 2000s was also impressive. At 39 and 40 years old, he still managed to have consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns and ranks 14th in franchise history for receiving yards despite playing just three and a half seasons with the club. The G.O.A.T. receiver also had postseason success in Oakland, adding another 27 catches, 434 yards and three touchdowns in five playoff games to his silver and black stat line.

Jerry Porter​

Photo by Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary
Jerry Porter

Raiders Stats: 284 catches, 3,939 yards, 30 TDs (8 seasons, 105 games)

Accolades: none

The 2000 second-round pick spent the majority of his first few seasons in the NFL as the third receiver behind the two wideouts above, leading to a slow start to begin his career. But Porter proved to be an excellent third wideout and complement to the Hall of Famers in 2002, racking up nearly 700 yards and nine touchdowns. He also led the league with 237 yards and three touchdowns during the postseason that year. Then, when Brown and Rice left, Porter became the top target and flirted with 1,000-yard campaigns in ‘04 and ‘05, notching 998 and 942 yards, respectively.

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So, which wide receiver are you going with for the WR1 spot on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?

Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section with your reasoning. If you don’t have a commenting account already, you’ll need to create one but the steps are pretty easy and it’s a seamless process. Also, we have full-time moderators to enforce the Community Guidelines. Sign up and go to the comments section.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...de-receiver-tim-brown-jerry-porter-jerry-rice