Who is the most underrated player on the Raiders’ roster?
That’s the question team insider Jesse Merrick discussed on his podcast this week and his choice was 32-year-old veteran Adam Butler.
“For me, the most underrated player on this Raiders team, both offensively and defensively, I think is Adam Butler,” Merrick said on the Silver & Black Sports Network podcast.
“This is a guy, and he’ll probably hate this video if he sees it, because he hates being called underrated and hates being told that what he does doesn’t show up on a stat sheet and all that stuff. But there are a couple years where it did show up on the stat sheet and if you just watch the games, you’ll see what this guy can do. His production for a defensive tackle is actually really good.”
“When you go back and look at it, he combined for 10 sacks his first two seasons [in Las Vegas],” Merrick continued.
“That’s according to ESPN. If you believe in Pro Football Focus and their stats, they actually credited him with 12 sacks in those first two seasons with the Raiders. Those are good numbers by a defensive tackle. He did only have one sack last season, but he also combined for 115 tackles the last two seasons. He is disruptive. If you turn on the tape and watch the games and you’re really paying attention; you’ll see that Adam Butler is in the backfield a lot.”
What’s interesting about Merrick’s comments on Butler is that many believed GM John Spytek would try to draft his replacement in the 2026 draft, but the team didn’t take a defensive tackle until the seventh round of the draft.
Most would point to Maxx Crosby as the leader of defense and even the leader of the locker room, but Butler’s presence in the locker room has grown and he would have been one of the key players to fill the void in the locker room if Crosby had been traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2025, Butler signed a three-year contract extension with the Raiders and is under contract with the team through the 2027 season.
Along with Butler, the Raiders defensive tackle room consists of Benito Jones, Thomas Booker, Jonah Laulu, J.J. Pegues and Brandon Cleveland, who they drafted this year.
From the outside, it’s a group that doesn’t stand out, so it will be interesting to see if the organization and Spytek’s confidence pay off.
x: @raidersbeat