How Jeremy Chinn Can Help Raiders LBs

However, if the defensive line struggles at all, the Raiders’ back seven may falter. That could lead to lapses in play. 

Thankfully for the Silver and Black, the Raiders have a promising safety tandem in Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao. One of the team’s top free agency signings, Chinn had a breakout season with the Washington Commanders in 2024. 

Not only is Chinn a productive player, but his versatility will be a major help to the Raiders in 2025. With a risky linebacker group that could be prone to mistakes, Chinn’s skill set could cover up many of them. 

Chinn is a former linebacker who transitioned to safety in the NFL. He spent many injury-prone seasons with the Carolina Panthers before finally being used advantageously in Washington last season. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Chinn played 470 snaps as a box safety in 2024, meaning he did lots of his work near the line of scrimmage defending the run. Those are responsibilities similar to those of a stack linebacker. 

His run defense grade on PFF was a 64.1, with 11 games earning a 75.0 grade or higher. He will play safety, but he will help out as a de facto linebacker often. 

The Raiders added Devin White in free agency this offseason. After an impressive few years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, White has struggled to maintain his position as a contributor in the league. 

Las Vegas is expecting White to play major snaps next season. That may not be a positive for its defense, but having Chinn behind him, who can cover his mistakes if he slips up, will mitigate any disastrous defensive plays. 

The Raiders have a long way to go before they are a playoff-caliber defense. However, they have a few players who can help prevent things from being worse than they could be. 

Chinn is a versatile, high-IQ player. That will come in handy when some other position groups may struggle.

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