The Las Vegas Raiders have made a lot of changes this offseason as general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels look to continue shaping the roster in their vision. That has included making some major changes to leadership positions on the field.
The one that has garnered the most attention is the quarterback position. Long-time starter Derek Carr was released earlier in the offseason and ended up signing a deal with the New Orleans Saints. If all things go according to plan, Jimmy Garoppolo, who crossed paths with Ziegler and McDaniels with the New England Patriots, will be the starter.
Alas, he isn’t the only extension of the coaching staff on the field that is changing. Linebacker Divine Deablo will now be wearing the green dot on defense, receiving play calls from the sidelines and relaying them to his teammates.
He recently spoke about the new responsibilities that he has as the leader on defense. It is something that he is looking forward to, as it reminds him of his early football days when he was on offense.
“Honestly, it makes myself proud because when I was younger I played quarterback,” said Deablo, who has noticeably bulked up. “So now, being the green dot is like quarterback of the defense, so it puts a smile on my face.”
Deablo gained 13 pounds of muscle this offseason, which has led to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham calling him ‘Big Swole’. It shows his commitment that the Raiders love so much, which is partly why he has been rewarded with the green dot.
He also proved last year just how productive he could be. Deablo suffered a season-ending injury on November 6th against the Jacksonville Jaguars when his arm got caught between teammate Denzel Perryman and Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne while making a tackle.
It resulted in a season-ending broken arm, which the Raiders’ defense felt the effects of. At the time of the injury, Deablo was leading the team with 74 tackles and was in the top 10 of the NFL.
While disappointed he wasn’t going to be able to get on the field, Deablo didn’t let this setback get him down. He used it as an opportunity to study even more and better prepare himself, which turned out to work as he earned a promotion on the Raiders’ defense.
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