Veteran LB could boost the team’s position group
It was a bit of a surprise to see the Las Vegas Raiders wait until the sixth round of the NFL Draft a couple of weeks ago to address their linebacker corps. The Raiders are expected to start Divine Deablo and Robert Spillane at the position for Week 1, and neither player exactly strikes fear in the opponent’s eyes.
However, the Silver and Black could turn to free agency to fill the void as Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton recently listed Las Vegas as the best landing spot for unsigned veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander.
“Spillane and Deablo have made 16 and 13 starts,” Moton wrote. “In coverage, they allowed passer ratings of 109.2 and 123.6 (out of a possible 158.3) last season. As the primary defender targeted, Deablo gave up three touchdowns in coverage.
“After going undrafted, [Luke] Masterson and [Darien] Butler played less than 31 percent of the defensive snaps in the 2022 term. [Kana’i] Mauga didn’t touch the field during the regular season. [Curtis] Bolton is a special teamer who played one defensive snap. [Amarey] Burney and [Drake] Thomas are late-draft or undrafted rookies.
“The Raiders need linebacker help, and Kwon Alexander looks like an ice-cold glass of water in the middle of the desert.
“Alexander has suffered various injuries throughout his career, but he suited up for every game with the New York Jets last season, recording 69 tackles and six for loss while missing just 5.5 percent of his tackles.
“Even more appealing to the Raiders should be that Alexander hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage since 2020. He will turn 29 years old in August and could be a low-cost, high-reward acquisition for a club that needs a three-down defender in the middle of its defense.”
So, what do you guys think? Should the Raiders take a flier on Alexander?
In other Raiders’ links:
- Marcus Peters visits Raiders: speaking of available veterans, the free-agent cornerback was in Las Vegas on Monday according to multiple reports.
- Keep an eye on Jesper Horsted: “The tight end must continue to impress in a suddenly crowded position group,” writes Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria.
- Las Vegas signs Kristian Wilkerson: the veteran wideout has ties to head coach Josh McDaniels and the New England Patriots (surprise!). The team let wide receiver Tyler Johnson go in a corresponding move.
- Way too early stat projections: Just Blog Baby’s Brad Weiss says Jimmy Garoppolo will set career highs along with four other bold predictions.