The Las Vegas Raiders just landed two new starters at linebacker in free agency.
The Las Vegas Raiders have made plenty of noise in recent days, trading away franchise pass rusher Maxx Crosby for two first-round picks while making more moves throughout the first day of the legal tampering period.
have made shook up the linebacker market by signing two of the best players on it, former Green Bay Packer Quay Walker to a three-year, $40.5 million deal, and former Philadelphia Eagle Nakobe Dean to a three-year, $36 million deal. Here are some of my key observations from the signings of these two talented linebackers and former college teammates.Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images With roughly $112 million in salary cap space as of Monday evening, general manager John Spytek is taking full advantage of the amount of money he has to spend by using free agency to aggressively upgrade key positions.a record $27 million per year, adding a deep-ball specialist in Jalen Nailor, and now Walker and Dean at linebacker, Spytek is showing he is not afraid to hand out significant contracts to players who can bring an immediate impact to head coach Klint Kubiak's team.Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker looks on during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images With Walker and Dean becoming the new starting linebackers for Las Vegas, the Raiders now have sound depth across the board at the position. They become formidable replacements to Elandon Roberts and Devin White. Jamal Adams and Tommy Eichenberg remain, along with special teamers Cody Lindenberg and Jon Rhattigan. The Raiders could still add another linebacker for depth in the NFL Draft with plenty of picks to utilize in the process. However, this group has quickly become more respectable and the deepest on the roster, which isn't saying much about the talent level across the board.Nov 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean reacts against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The former Georgia Bulldog teammates of Walker and Dean will provide the Raiders with playmakers at the second level. Walker is a quality coverage linebacker, using his athleticism to attack as an underneath zone defender working hook-curl shells while being able to climb the flag pole in Cover 2. Dean is a similar ace in coverage, but is wicked quick downhill with some of the best blitzing ability amongst all free agent linebackers signed so far., along with nickel defender Taron Johnson, as the newest starters on the Raiders defense as the franchise looks to take a big step forward in the first season under the Kubiak-Spytek tandem.Jared Feinberg, a native of western North Carolina, has written about NFL football for nearly a decade. He has contributed to several national outlets and is now part of our On SI team as an NFL team reporter. Jared graduated from UNC Asheville with a bachelor's degree in mass communications and later pursued his master's degree at UNC Charlotte. You can follow Jared Feinberg on Twitter at @JRodNFLDraftRaiders Execute Intelligent Trade On Eve Of Legal Tampering PeriodNFL Live Updates Before Free Agency: Trent McDuffie, Rams Reset CB Market with New Contract
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