Raiders 2025: Linebacker group light on experience post-free agency and draft

Elandon Roberts, Devin White lead a young core in Las Vegas; A look at available options

Elandon Roberts and Devin White.

That duo are the elder statesmen of the Las Vegas Raiders linebacker group at age 31 and 27, respectively. Both were signed in free agency to one-year deals to add much-needed experience and veteran presences in the linebacker room — one that is young and light on NFL snaps.

Of the seven linebackers officially on the Raiders roster — that number doesn’t consider the undrafted free agents Las Vegas reportedly came to terms with, mind you — five are 24 years old and under. Six are incumbents and only one is a brand-new addition: Cody Lindenberg, a seventh-round selection by the Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Minnesota.

General manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll waiting until the final stanza in the draft and inking Roberts and White without any other moves is quite telling. It seems the starters are amongst the group of seven — including the undrafted prospects. And offseason competition will determine the finality of things.

Considering all that, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Roberts and White to impress and lead the pack this offseason and earn starting spots in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense. One that used the 4-2-5 alignment extensively meaning there were rarely three linebackers on the field at the same time.

Las Vegas Raiders Linebackers:

• Elandon Roberts, 31 years old, 10th season
• Devin White, 27, 7th season
• Amari Burney, 24, 3rd season
• Amari Gainer, 24, 2nd season
• Tommy Eichenberg, 24, 2nd season
• Brandon Smith, 24, 2nd season
• Cody Lindenberg, 23, Rookie

The “Old” Heads

Between Roberts and White, the older duo brings a bevy of NFL games, starts, and snaps. Roberts has 140 career games and 105 starts to his name (17 games played, 14 started with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024) along with 4,223 defensive snaps over his nine-year career.

White has 83 career games and 76 starts under his belt (a career-low seven games played with one start in 2024 with the Houston Texans). He’s got 5,042 defensive snaps over his six years in the league.

You can combine the games played, starts, and snaps of the rest of the linebackers on the Raiders roster and it won’t even come remotely close Roberts’ and White’s tallies.

Roberts is expected to be the starting middle linebacker this coming season due to his physical play style and aggressive demeanor. He’s a classic two-down thumper that punishes the offense and our Matt Holder did an excellent job of breaking down how much of a human battering ram the linebacker truly is.

White, meanwhile, has the look of a classic Silver & Black first-round reclamation project. After having a productive first four years in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (he was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft — after the Raiders picked Clelin Ferrell), white began to drop off with career-low marks in 2024 with the Texans.

Spytek was part of the Bucs front office that picked White, so familiarity is there. And if White still has the athleticism and tackle-machine capability, he can claim the other starting spot alongside Roberts.

Youth & Other Options

Eichenberg, Gainer, Burney, and Lindenberg should be hungry and motivated this offseason. Eichenberg, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft has good size at 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds to be an inside linebacker. Burney, an athletic 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds and a 2023 sixth-round pick, has the speed to be an outside linebacker.

Gainer also offers solid size at 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds with plus athleticism. And Lindenberg, who stands 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, showcased the tackling ability and leadership skills to captain a defense with the Golden Gophers.

But unless that group showcases the ability to operate in the scheme Graham and linebackers coach John Glenn are putting together and prove they can outperform the veterans in front of them, it’s an uphill climb for starting spots. Backups and special teams work appears on the horizon.

The free agent market is thin with veterans C.J. Mosely, Ja’whuan Bentley, and De’Vondre Campbell the top inside linebackers available. (Mosely does have a neck issue, though). It gets even thinner at outside linebacker where most are pass-rush types, however, Duke Riley, Nick Vigel, and Kamu Grugier-Hill are more off-ball types that are available.

With the market being so barren, rolling with what the Raiders have thus far and awaiting camp cuts down the road is the best route.

Carroll has preached competition and earning snaps ever since he was hired to right the Raiders ship alongside Spytek, so we’ll see how it plays out soon enough. An open competition can result in the entire group pushing each other giving Las Vegas the ability to pick the best two or three to start.