The Oakland Raiders managed to shore up some much-needed depth to their linebacker corps with the signing of Dakota Allen heading into Week 4 of the 2019 NFL season.
The Raiders have had to make some major adjustments to this group following their recent slew of injuries. This has resulted in the promotion of linebacker Justin Phillips to the active roster and the signing of linebacker Quentin Poling to the practice squad leading up to Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Regardless, it appears Allen may the one to have an opportunity to become an immediate contributor on defense. It is safe to say that he has made quite the impression on head coach Jon Gruden, via the Raiders’ Twitter:
“He’s a young guy, he’s got life in his legs,” Gruden said. “He’s a contact player. He’s got some range, physical player, just needs a chance. And hopefully he cashes in on this opportunity.”
Allen added that the aggressive nature of Oakland’s defense is similar to that of the Los Angeles Rams, who he was drafted by and spent the first three weeks of the season with:
“I love how they play, I love how aggressive they are because that’s the same mindset we had in LA,” Allen explained. “I love how they mix things up on offense and defense, and I’m just excited to be a part of this organization.”
“Whatever value they need, whether it’s on special teams, defense, practice, I’m just here to add value to the team and help us win.”
It is encouraging to see that Allen is seemingly starting to find his footing in Oakland thanks to his time in Los Angeles. His affinity for making hard hits could potentially make him a seamless fit on defense.
The 23-year-old was initially taken in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Rams and showed plenty of promise during training camp. It was during that time that he was able to catch Gruden’s eye after the two teams held scrimmages leading up to their matchup in the preseason opener.
Linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Nicholas Morrow have been limited participants in practice throughout the week which still leaves plenty of speculation regarding their status for Week 4. If either of them are unable to play, the Raiders will essentially be forced to have Allen make his NFL debut in Indianapolis.
With linebacker Marquel Lee on IR, the only other healthy linebackers that were on the team prior to the recent signings were Tahir Whitehead and Kyle Wilber. While Whitehead is set to resume his role as the veteran starter, Wilber will now have plenty of competition for snaps moving forward.
