Getty Former New England Patriots LB Jamie Collins.
The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers but they continue to work on the roster. Linebacker continues to be an interesting position group to watch. The team is quite young as the only linebackers over the age of 24 are Denzel Perryman and Jayon Brown.
The Raiders are relying a lot on young players to step up this season, especially if there are injuries. That said, the team appears to be looking at adding veteran depth. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Las Vegas hosted linebacker Jamie Collins for a visit.
The Raiders hosted free agent LB Jamie Collins on a visit. Plenty of familiarity with the new regime in Las Vegas.
Collins first came into the NFL as a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2013. He’s now 32 and sitting in free agency. The Super Bowl champion and former Pro Bowl knows the Raiders coaching staff quite well. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was his linebackers coach with the Patriots in 2014 and 2015. Collins also spent much of his career with head coach Josh McDaniels.
Collins isn’t the impact player he once was as he only made 30 combined tackles last season. He likely would have a hard time breaking the starting lineup but he’s a savvy veteran who knows the kind of operation McDaniels and Graham are trying to run. He could be a valuable depth piece to have if the Raiders think he can still be serviceable on the field.
Raiders Clearly Interested in Adding LB Depth
The Raiders are clearly interested in adding veteran depth at linebacker. They just recently hosted Alec Ogletree and Reggie Ragland for visits. Both of those linebackers have worked with Graham before. Las Vegas not only wants a veteran linebacker, but they also appear to prefer if he has worked with the coaching staff before.
Ragland, Ogletree and Collins have all played for Graham and are respected veterans. It remains to be seen if the Raiders are looking to add a linebacker to the active roster or the practice squad. Regardless, they want another linebacker and will likely sign one soon. Even if they sign one now, they aren’t likely to play in Week 1 so the team may wait until after their first game to get a better idea of what they need.
Is Raiders Defense Good Enough?
There’s been a ton of talk of the Raiders’ offense and how good it can be. Barring a disaster, the offense should be one of the best in the league. There are offensive line concerns but the quarterback and weapons are too good for the team not to put up a ton of points. However, the defense is a much bigger question mark.
The unit has big-time potential. Graham is one of the most respected defensive minds in the NFL and the group as an emerging superstar in Maxx Crosby. The team added Chandler Jones, who will be in the Hall of Fame one day. How good the defense will be will come down to how a few young players play. Cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Tre’von Moehrig showed potential last year. If they can take big leaps this season, both could be Pro Bowl-level players. Those two turning into stars would crush a lot of concerns about this defense going forward.