Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
The offseason is winding down with free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror as the Las Vegas Raiders gear up for OTAs next week. So, like last week, our mailbag column will focus on an offseason review of the Raiders’ moves this spring.
Q: Do you think the defense has enough horses to improve from last year? Feels like the Raiders lost more on that side of the ball than they gained.
A: This is one of my concerns about the roster heading into the season. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I understand being economical with personnel decisions and keeping the bigger/long-term vision in mind by not wanting to overpay players. But the other end of that decision-making is that there’s a drop-off in talent from last year’s team.
Especially with the losses in the secondary and at linebacker, I am worried that the defense will regress or at least won’t improve from last season. It’s going to take great coaching jobs from Patrick Graham and Pete Carroll for the unit to get better. The good news is that both coaches have a history of getting the most out of their players.
Q: Are you confident in the Raiders’ linebackers at this point?
A: Building on the question and answer above, I don’t have much confidence in the linebackers since it’s a combination of role-playing veterans and unproven young players.
I like Elandon Roberts as a two-down defender, but he’s currently the best linebacker on the roster, and that’s worrisome. In my opinion, Devin White isn’t a starter in the NFL and is best as an off-ball blitzer on passing downs. The problem is that those two will likely be at the top of the depth chart heading into training camp.
Then there’s Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Cody Lindenberg, all of whom have potential. But, at this point, they don’t have the track record to be confident in them. Hopefully, one or two of those three step up and surprise us this year.
And, for good measure, the addition of Jaylon Smith doesn’t even budge the needle for me.
Q: What is a position group that the Raiders must address before training camp? Who are 3 or 4 realistic players that would have the largest impact if added?
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
A: This has been a popular question lately, as I believe it’s the third week in a row that it’s been asked, lol! So, I’ll use this as another opportunity to pound the table for Mike Hilton at nickel. Kendall Fuller is another interesting corner who has experience covering the slot and might be worth taking a look at, same with Arthur Maulet.
At linebacker, if Shaq Thompson is healthy, he’d be a good pickup. But Thompson has suffered significant leg injuries over the last two seasons: a broken fibula in 2023 and a torn Achilles last year. Eric Kendricks and Kyzir White are a couple of other names to throw out there, but I get the feeling the Raiders are going to roll with the backers they have.
Q: I feel that there is depth/competition at the interior o-line spots. Do you see a Kolton Miller extension on the cards? If not, do you think left tackle becomes a rental/free agent option, or do the Raiders invest serious draft capital on the position next year?
A: There hasn’t been any news about an extension from Miller, aside from the pre-draft report that he was sitting out of the voluntary workouts while looking for a new deal. However, Miller has been seen at the facilities and participating in the Raiders’ workouts after the draft, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the contract extension gets signed over the next few months.
If, for some reason, the veteran tackle and the organization can’t agree to terms, rookie Charles Grant would likely be the long-term solution. The third-round pick is a project that needs a year or two to refine his technique, but he has impressive traits to work with. That said, the front office could bring in a veteran on a short-term deal during free agency as an insurance plan, too, but the ideal situation would be for Grant to take over the blindside.
All that being said, Las Vegas taking Ashton Jeanty over Armand Membou this year tells me the front office would like to get a deal done with Miller. I think next year’s draft will be focused on getting a franchise quarterback.
A: At this stage, my confidence is based on each coach’s track record, so the ones I’m the least confident in are the coaches with less NFL experience. Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll comes to mind, since this is his first time being the primary offensive line coach in the league.
Carroll was the assistant OL coach to Tom Cable and Mike Solari with the Seahawks, but never took over the reins in Seattle. He does have experience as an offensive line coach at the college level, though. Also, Joe Philbin is still on the staff to help Carroll out.
On the other end of the spectrum, I like that defensive backs coach Marcus Robinson has 10 years of experience in his role to help develop young players like Darien Porter, Jakorian Bennett, Thomas Harper, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Trey Taylor, etc.
Also, Rob Leonard has proven himself over the years, getting the most out of several Raiders defensive linemen recently, which should benefit Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues.
A: I wouldn’t expect Laki Tasi to be activated this year. I don’t doubt that he has plenty of traits to work with and the background in rugby can translate to football. But expecting someone who picked up the game just a year ago to be ready to play at the professional level is unrealistic.
If Tasi is ahead of schedule and ready for action at any point this season, awesome. However, I’m not holding my breath that it will happen.
A: Biggest impact: easy, Ashton Jeanty. He’s the first-round pick, and top 10 pick at that, and has the clearest path to start given how thin the Raiders are at running back. I think Jeanty will get a lot of touches in year one.
Overachiever: I’ll go with Porter and Lindenberg as a close second. Both positions, cornerback and linebacker, are big-time needs and I like what both youngins bring to the table. I think Porter has CB1 potential and could have a rookie season similar to Riq Woolen’s under Carroll. Lindenberg adds a quality run defender to a position group that’s very much up in the air.
Underachiever: Caleb Rogers. That is the only pick from this year’s draft class where I just don’t see the vision. I’m not a huge fan of his game, partially because I don’t know what his best position will be, guard or tackle. He strikes me as more of a versatile backup than a starter, which isn’t ideal for a Top 100 selection.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays. Sign up and go to the comments section.