It was clear at the start of the offseason that the Las Vegas Raiders wanted to revamp their defense, and they were able to do that through free agency and the draft.
A big focus was the linebacking corps, which is a position the Raiders have needed to address for years now. They finally were able to, signing a pair of free agents in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski that could immediately come in and start.
Other offseason additions to the defense include safety Damarious Randall, cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Prince Amukamara and defensive linemen Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib, which should make for a much-improved group in 2020.
While training camp has come and gone and the start of the season is just around the corner, it appears the Raiders have not finished adding to their defense. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, they are acquiring linebacker Raekwon McMillan from the Miami Dolphins:
Compensation update: Raiders are trading a 2021 fourth-round pick to Miami for Dolphins’ linebacker Raekwon McMillan and a 2021 fifth-round pick, per source. Good value for Raiders, but McMillan is in the last year of his deal. https://t.co/kkWF5UHccR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2020
McMillan is a former second-round pick of the Dolphins out of Ohio State in 2017. In his two NFL seasons, McMillan has played in 29 games and recorded 177 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
He played in 13 games in 2019, starting 12 of them, and had 72 total tackles and three tackles for loss. The 24-year-old still has some upside, which the Raiders will hope to un tap in the final year of his rookie contract.
While Littleton and Kwiatkoski are clear starters at the linebacker position, there is no doubt McMillan will see a ton of playing time either as the third starter and in a depth role for Las Vegas this season.
