For the longest time, I asked this question in jest: Which position group will the Silver & Black fix first: Linebacker or quarterback?
The reason for the tongue-in-cheek query should be obvious. Outside of some fleeting moments here and there, the Las Vegas Raiders conundrum at the two position groups remained ever-present.
Advertisement
This offseason, however, the Silver & Black made a concerted effort to solve the long-standing issues at the two position groups. General manager John Spytek and his personnel crew alongside contracts guru Tom Delaney and Julia Ayres combined to spend cap space on signing Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to rich deals when free agency opened in mid-March. And then, a month later, the Raiders spent more coin on veteran Kirk Cousins and drafted Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft to chart the course at quarterback correction.
Let’s focus on the linebacker position.
The Raiders landed Walker with a three-year, $40.5 million deal with $28 million of that sum fully guaranteed. Dean inked a three-year, $36 million pact with $20 million guaranteed. The $13.5 million per year and $12 million per year averages, respectively, highlight a high-end spending spree compared to the value market Spytek engaged with in his initial season as Las Vegas’ chief personnel man. There was no flier signings and a position change — remember Jamal Adams going from safety to linebacker last season? — and instead, the Raiders landed two proven commodities to very rich deals to address a position of need.
The duo of Walker and Dean — a formidable combination during their stint as Georgia Bulldogs — are the unquestioned front runners for the inside linebacker spots in defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s 3-4 base defense front. The biggest concern about the two new additions: Dean’s availability. Unlike his 6-foot-4 and 240-pound college teammate and tag team partner in Las Vegas, the 5-foot-11 and 230-pound Dean has missed 25 career regular-season games in his four seasons in the NFL thus far. And while he’s been present, he hasn’t been an active participant in the Raiders offseason thus far.
Advertisement
Fortunately for Las Vegas, late-round draft picks in the 2024 and 2025 drafts provides depth in Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg. Dubbed “The Bergs” by Raider Nation, the duo established themselves as core special teams, but the key question remains: Can they become more than aces on Joe DeCamillis’ various units?
It’s within the realm of possibility. But the climb will be steep for both Eichenberg and Lindenberg. Namely, the pair of young linebackers must rapidly improve pass coverage skills, separate from veterans at the position group, and capitalizing on snaps received when the Raiders reconvene for training camp later this month.
“So, I just try to keep them with the right mindset, as in, ‘Man, this is everything you worked for.’ Never lose the train of thought of that,” Walker said on the words of wisdom he’s shared with the two young linebackers. “Anytime you’re out there, just play with confidence. There’s going to be challenges that come but just go out and just play. There’s a reason you’re here. And it’s a lot of people that’s dying to be in our shoes. A lot of people may say this or say that, but if everybody could do it, they’d be right here, but that’s not the case. So, we’re part of the 1% that’s doing it, and so that’s all I try to say. I just try to encourage people with those types of words.”
Coverage Chops
The long-standing Achilles heel of not only the Raiders but many linebackers coming from the collegiate landscape: Pass coverage. With the NFL evolving into a pass happy offense, linebackers who can cover tight ends and running backs — and God forbid wide receivers — is more prevalent in today’s game. And with all that said, NFL linebackers must maintain the same thumping power and strength that separates them from their defensive back counterparts.
Advertisement
Las Vegas’ new linebacker coach Ronell Williams, who coached with the Philadelphia Eagles the past three seasons before joining the Raiders staff, called this exact thing out during a Q&A session on the team’s official website.
“I think the game has evolved to space,” Williams said. “If you can play in space and have that hard-hitting (play style), which I believe in my whole heart that Nakobe and Quay possess, that’s what it’s about. When you have the marriage of agility, mobility and physicality. That’s every coach’s dream.”
Agility and mobility were neither Eichenberg’s and Lindenberg’s strong suits coming out of Ohio State and Minnesota, respectively. But the duo worked hard this offseason to improve much-required explosiveness to compete heading into 2026. And that’s just the athleticism.
Eichenberg and Lindenberg need to not only keep up with pass catchers, but disrupt the throws in the air and, if beaten, be able to chase down and tackle said targets lest they get burned by yards after catch (YAC) or worst yet, a touchdown. Awareness, especially spatial, is as vital as having the wheels to keep up.
Rotational Reps
With Dean missing a wide swath of time this offseason, Lindenberg has stepped up to take first-team snaps alongside Walker and was highlighted as a standout by various beat reporters. The 2025 seventh-round pick (222nd overall) certainly took advantage of the reps given to him while Eichenberg was nursing an ailment and unable to take on the snaps.
Advertisement
Lauded for his diagnostic skills and instincts coming out of Minnesota, the 24-year-old brings requisite size at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds and, if he can continue to impress when the pads come on in training camp, Lindenberg’s chances of earning defensive snaps this coming season improves exponentially. As a rookie last season, he didn’t notch a single defensive snap but totaled 362 snaps on special teams (86 percent of the group’s total in 2025). Count Walker as not surprised Lindenberg is showcasing football intelligence.
“Honestly, man, Cody is a guy who’s tremendously smart, knows everything, know what everybody’s supposed to be doing, and stuff like that,” the veteran said of the second-year linebacker. “It’s certain things that I feel like I can help him with, as in being off the quarterback, whatever it may be, just any little thing, so any advice I can give him, I try to just give it to him, and he’s like a sponge, he soak up anything I give to him, he don’t feel any type of way, I don’t try to be on him as much, I still allow him to be himself, but if I can help in any way, I just try to do that, and he always listens to me. Shoutout to Cody.”
This doesn’t slam the door shut on Eichenberg, however.
While the 25-year-old remains a key cog on special teams (371 snaps last year, 313 as a rookie in 2024), he did earn 89 defensive snaps in 2025. His passion and toughness displayed on special teams is a desired trait for inside linebackers in the NFL and has the mental makeup to handle barking out calls and aligning his fellow defenders. And when the pads do come on and the Raiders can hit in training camp, that often is the separation point between roster hopefuls and mainstays.
While the 3-4 will be the base defensive front, expect Leonard to deploy sub packages that showcase even fronts that showcase five defensive backs. A 4-2-5 alignment has potential to take two linebackers off the field, and a 3-3-5 version keeps a trio of linebackers on the field. That’s to say it’s difficult to envision either Eichenberg or Lindenberg manning an outside linebacker spot as they profile more as physical inside linebackers that can mask their athletic deficiencies in pass coverage.
Advertisement
But it’ll be Walker and Dean as the top two middle linebackers. And the “next man up” mentality may mean Eichenberg and Lindenberg must be at the ready.
“And then the rest of that room is just as sharp. Cody has been phenomenal. Segun (Olubi) has been phenomenal. Cam (McGrone) came on late, but these guys — and the phenomenal part that I’m speaking of is their attention to detail in attacking the offseason,” Williams said of what excites him about the linebackers “As Tommy continues to progress, seeing the way he moves and you just see his disposition and his attitude, I like it. That’s what I’m excited about the full room and not just those two (Dean and Walker).”
