Out went Robert Spillane. And in came Elandon Roberts.
And the results of that swap at middle linebacker is quite the mixed bag for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Spillane, who spent two seasons as the Mike for the Silver & Black’s defense and amassing 306 total tackles, 17 stops for loss, 5.5 sacks, five interceptions, and 11 pass deflections from 2023-24, inked a lucrative three-year, $33-million deal with $20.6 million fully guaranteed including a signing bonus with the New England Patriots. And to no surprise, the 29-year-old 6-foot-1 and 229-pound linebacker leads the Pats in tackles with 53 total to go along with one stop for loss, a sack, an interception, and two pass deflections.
To fill the void left by Spillane’s departure, the Raiders inked veteran Elandon Roberts to a a very modest-by-comparison one-year, $3.01 million deal with $2.5 million guaranteed. Like Spillane before him, Roberts arrived as a free agent signing from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 31-year-old 5-foot-11 and 235-pound linebacker is third on the team in tackles with 40 to go along with two stops for loss.
Where Spillane and Roberts are alike
Run defense. Spillane is a freight train when diagnosing the run and has the size, speed, and physicality to get dirty in traffic. Ditto for Roberts. While he may be smaller, he’s more violent and has shown the penchant to blow up even offensive lineman enroute to stymieing the run.
Interestingly enough, Spillane and Roberts are similar in pass coverage, too.
Teams realized the second level of Las Vegas’ defense is suspect as best and throwing at linebackers is the route to go. And it’s stung the Raiders. Roberts hasn’t been targeted as frequently, but according to Pro Football Reference, the middle linebacker is charted for seven targets allowing five receptions for 71 yards. Quarterbacks targeting him sport a 103.9 rating with a 71.4 completion percentage. Watching him trail Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in coverage was not a sight fans want to see regularly. Roberts’ pass coverage career highlight came in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins where he housed the lone interception of his career for 85 yards. The quarterback who threw the pick six? Derek Carr.
Flip to Spillane, and Pro Football Reference charts him with 24 targets allowing 21 receptions for 196 yards. Quarterbacks throwing at him sport an 83.3 rating and a staggering 87.5 completion percentage. Spillane does have an interception under his belt. Of the yards allowed, Spillane yields 64 through the air and 132 as yards after catch (YAC). While he did snare five total interceptions as a Raider, Spillane’s two-year pass coverage stats read: 122 targets, 89 completions for 914 yards and six touchdowns given up. Quarterbacks sported a cumulative rating of 93.4 while completing 73 percent of their passes throwing at Spillane.
The Difference Between The Two
Besides contract status and long-term outlook, Spillane is the younger of the two and has cemented himself as a difference maker in the middle of the Patriots defense. He’s accounted for two takeaways with his interception and a forced fumble and reuniting with Mike Vrabel is paying off for 5-2 New England.
While Spillane’s pass coverage ability remains an area of opportunity, his ability to read and react and tackling ability makes him a defender who rides out his rich deal with the Patriots.
Roberts, meanwhile, is the elder statesmen of the Raiders linebacker group and while he’s an aggressive tackling machine, he hasn’t registered a forced fumble or a takeaway in Las Vegas. At his age, Roberts is in the twilight of his NFL career and its unclear if the Raiders have interest in bringing him back for more than the lone season he’s currently under contract for.
Interestingly enough, after the Patriots signed Spillane, the Raiders attempted to lure New England restricted free agent Christian Elliss to Las Vegas with a two-year $13.5 million contract.
Elliss signed the offer but the Patriots matched — something teams with restricted free agents can do — and the 26-year-old is right behind Spillane with 45 total tackles. The 6-foot-2 and 231-pound undrafted free agent has allowed 16 receptions on 17 targets for 143 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. That’s a 101.7 rating and 94.1 percent completion rate for quarterbacks throwing at Elliss.
Losing out on Elliss, the Raiders inked Devin White to a one-year deal (valued at $1.17 million). The 27-year-old is having a topsy turvy 2025 campaign in Las Vegas but leads the team in tackling (64 total) and has an interception, sack, and forced fumble under his belt alongside seven stops for loss.
Long-Term Outlook
With both Roberts and White on one-year pacts, the only other active-roster linebackers under contract beyond 20225 are Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg. On the practice squad, the Raiders do have Brian Asamoah and Jamin Davis.
Eichenberg, a 2024 fifth-round pick (148th overall), is a core special teamer with 148 snaps (87 percent of the unit total) on the year compiling eight total tackles. Lindenberg, a 2025 seventh-round pick (222nd overall), is right there with Eichenberg on special teams with 146 snaps and has two total tackles.
With all that in mind, linebacker remains a position of need and the void must be addressed the following offseason with either free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft.
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