The Las Vegas Raiders had the look of a promising team last season that just needed a little more help. They finished with a 7-9 record and had some intriguing young talent after a successful 2019 draft.
The biggest issue with the team came with the inequality of talent across the defense. The Raiders needed big improvement in their secondary, but also had a huge weakness at linebacker. The team thought that Vontaze Burfict could fix that issue, but he was suspended after almost the entire season.
This offseason, the Raiders have finally landed a couple of solid linebackers in free agency. Bringing in both Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski has made the Raiders defense much more formidable in addition to a few other signings.
Raiders general manager Mike Mayock feels that the pair of linebackers will be big for the Raiders, via Kyle Martin of Raiders.com:
“We got guys that are both young and have a consistent amount of playing ability, and a lot of them have been starters,” he said. “You talk about the linebackers, Cory Littleton covers as well as anybody in the league. We feel like Kwiatkoski will wear the green dot and fit in seamlessly with what we do.”
Littleton obviously became one of the most coveted free agents this offseason. In his four year career, he has totaled six interceptions, 26 passes defended, three forced fumbles and 205 solo tackles while anchoring the middle of a tough Los Angeles Rams defense.
Kwiatkoski has quietly been solid for the Chicago Bears as well. Last season alone he put up three sacks, four passes defensed and 56 solo tackles.
Adding both pieces should help to create a tough Raiders defense. The Raiders also added some young talent to their defensive line, which when coupled with their new linebackers should give opposing offenses a hard time.
With a very successful free agency, the Raiders can really hone in on their weak spots for the upcoming NFL Draft. It seems like the main points of interest for the team will be wide receivers and cornerbacks.
The Raiders tried to sign cornerback Byron Jones, but he decided to sign with the Miami Dolphins insetad. Las Vegas also had signed Eli Apple, but that deal ended up falling through.
The Raiders will hopefully be able to fill out the rest of their roster during the NFL Draft, as most free agents have already signed elsewhere. But with the success Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden had in last year’s draft, they should be able to duplicate it this time around as well.
