NFL rosters aren’t going to be finalized for months, so teams are going to continue to tinker. The Las Vegas Raiders have done a lot to remake their defense this offseason, so they let a lot of players walk in free agency.
They decided against bringing back any of their free agent linebackers. Jon Rhattigan wasn’t one of the big names in the position group, but he did play 12 games for the Raiders last season.
He didn’t get asked back after the year and wasn’t able to sign with anybody early in free agency. After a long wait, the Chicago Bears announced that they’ve signed Rhattigan to a contract.
He has been in the NFL since 2021, when he was an undrafted free agent signing with the Seattle Seahawks. He lasted three seasons with them before moving to the Carolina Panthers in 2024.
He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers briefly before joining the Raiders last season. Rhattigan is primarily a special teams contributor. He has played just 20 defensive snaps in his career. He’s heading to Chicago to carve out a role on special teams. That’s likely his only way of earning a roster spot this upcoming season.
Raiders Roster Still Needs Work
The Raiders have done a lot to upgrade their roster this offseason. They’ve been big spenders in free agency and had a very impressive draft.
That said, they had one of the worst rosters in the NFL last season. It’s going to take time to get this roster in a respectable place. The Raiders also need a lot of young talent to prove that they can play.
The team’s roster looks a lot better than it did last season, but it’s still not one of the better ones in the NFL. The Athletic’s Austin Mock had them ranked as the 28th-best roster in the league after the draft.
“Last year, the Raiders had some of the worst offensive line play you’ll ever see,” Mock wrote. “They addressed that by signing center Tyler Linderbaum to a record contract, and the team now rates slightly above average on the interior offensive line; its offensive tackles rate about average. That should aid No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza’s development at quarterback.
“Elsewhere, though, the Raiders have the third-worst receivers and rank 26th on the interior defensive line.”
Raiders May Have More Talent Than Given Credit For
There is talent on the Raiders’ roster. Brock Bowers, Tyler Linderbaum and Maxx Crosby are all All-Pro level players. Ashton Jeanty also has a chance to be that type of player.
The main problem with the Raiders is that they just don’t have proven depth. The roster is really young right now. Last year’s draft class didn’t even get a chance to show what it could do, as former head coach Pete Carroll favored playing veterans.
It’s possible that there’s a lot more talent on the Raiders’ roster than people realize. A lot of players could be greatly improved with better coaching. It’s a lot of projection, but players like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jack Bech, Darien Porter, Charles Grant and more could be real impact players now that the Raiders have a more exciting coaching staff.
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