Apr 25, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; (L-R) Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek during a news conference introducing Ashton Jeanty as the first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

One Free Agent Raiders Must Be All In On

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Jan 27, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders have a very busy offseason. This is the second straight offseason where the Raiders are looking for all the right answers at key areas in their franchise. The second straight offseason was they are looking for a head coach.

They are trying to get this franchise going in the right direction. They have a lot of work in front of them, and that is why the owner, Mark Davis, is letting his football people make the critical decision this offseason.

One of those football people is general manager John Spytek. This offseason, Spytek has a full grasp of things because when he came in last season as general manager, he came in a little late because of the head coaching search.

Now, Spytek will get to do his thing, and the Raiders are going to see what Spytek could do this offseason. And one of the biggest things for the Raiders this offseason is free agency. The Raiders have the money to spend, and they could bring in good players.

Spytek has to see what players he believes are the best fit for the Raiders and what they are going to look like moving forward. Spytek has done a good job in finding the right players in free agency in his previous stops in the NFL. Now he is looking to do that with the Raiders. There is one major area the Raiders must improve in, and that is the offensive line. That was the biggest problem for the Raiders' offense last season.

There is one free agent that the Raiders should do everything they can to bring to Las Vegas. That is Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum is seen as the best center in the NFL by many. By bringing him in, the Raiders would upgrade their offensive line and put current players in a good position to be successful next season.

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

PFF ranked Linderbaum as the No. 3 overall free agent.

3. C Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens

"Linderbaum ranked as the fifth-highest graded center in the NFL in 2025 and has improved his PFF grade in every season since entering the league, all while heading toward free agency at just 25 years old. While he remains imperfect in pass protection, he has earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 60.0 in three consecutive seasons. He is among the league's best run blockers, however, having posted a PFF run-blocking grade above 80.0 in three of his four NFL seasons."