The Las Vegas Raiders announced that they have signed free agent linebacker Quentin Poling. The terms of the deal were not released.
Poling came into the league as a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. The former Ohio product ended his stellar college career with 107 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four passes defensed and three forced fumbles en route to first-team All-MAC honors as a senior.
He spent his rookie year on the Dolphins practice squad before being waived due to injuries and subsequently picked up by the Raiders. He quickly made the active roster due to their lack of options at linebacker, however, was soon demoted to the practice squad before being waived in December of the 2019 NFL season.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a brief tenure with the Atlanta Falcons before rejoining the Raiders’ practice squad this past November and then becoming a free agent once again after the 2019 campaign. He now finds himself as part of the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas as they get set to open the 2020 NFL season at Allegiant Stadium
General manager Mike Mayock has made it clear that they are looking to address the current lack of depth in their linebacker corps this offseason. Mayock was already seen doing his due diligence at the Senior Bowl and the prospect of them filling this void in the 2020 NFL Draft is hardly far-fetched.
As a result, it seems Las Vegas may be going for a more youthful approach on the defensive side of the ball. Mayock has now gotten a head start on shoring up some potential talent in Poling.
Of course, the Raiders still have a long way to go before turning this area of weakness into a strength. Fortunately, they appear to be confident in their ability to develop their younger pieces into key contributors.
It will be interesting to see if the third time is the charm for Poling to stick around for the long haul. Him being familiar with the playbook will bode well for him during offseason workouts and training camp.
