The Raiders were looking thin at the linebacker position a week ago, but with the Cincinnati Bengals’ decision to release Germaine Pratt, the Raiders were able to add a starter in June – something that doesn’t happen a lot in the NFL.
Pratt might not be a Pro Bowl caliber linebacker, but he shouldn’t have trouble finding his way to the top of the depth chart in Las Vegas.
The question now is… who will Pratt replace in the lineup?
Will it be Elandon Roberts or Devin White?
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen talked this week on the Just Win podcast and he believes Roberts should be considered the early favorite to start alongside Pratt.
“This linebacker room could have been one of the worst in the league,” Nguyen said of the Raiders’ linebacker situation going into this week.
“I think Pratt definitely is a significant upgrade,” he continued. “Elandon Roberts and Devin White have been running with the first team. So I imagine [Pratt] is going to take White’s spot and it’s going to be Pratt and Roberts, and White will be in the fold. But I imagine Pratt will be starting in those 4-2 looks.”
White should still provide the Raiders’ with important depth at linebacker, but there’s also a younger player that could eventually factor into the mix.
Amari Gainer went undrafted and signed with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Last year, he was one of the team’s more exciting players in the preseason. He played 119 snaps in the 2024 preseason and recorded Pro Football Focus game grades of 90.6, 75.5 and 59.2. He excelled in coverage and led the team in preseason tackles with 17.
Prior to the start of the regular season, former head coach Antonio Pierce spoke highly of Gainer.
“I think the best thing that happened for him was that last game,” Pierce said. “He went out there and played 90-plus snaps. 70-plus on defense and another 15 or so on special teams. And all you saw throughout the game, and we’ve been seeing it all preseason, is a guy just getting better and better. But more importantly, somebody that just was playing his heart out. And it meant something to him.”
“He’s put himself in position, not just at linebacker, but on special teams, to be one of the core guys for us. There’s still some development there at the linebacker position that will take place over the course of the season, but he gives us a lot of flexibility because of what he’s able to do both on the line of scrimmage, off the ball linebacker and special teams.”
Gainer only got on the field for 12 defensive plays last year – mostly because Robert Spillane didn’t share many snaps in 2024.
But the 6-3, 236-pound linebacker might be someone to keep an eye on this year. A video surfaced this week showing one of Gainer’s offseason workouts and he looks like a player that’s working hard to see the field more in 2025.
x: @raidersbeat