Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders Have Big Decisions to Make at the Linebacker Position

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 9:00 AM ET

With the Raiders trading away their veteran leader, Maxx Crosby, late last week, that leaves them with a massive hole that goes beyond the field and at the defensive end position.

The Raiders now do not have the veteran voice, the locker room leader, and the player that is the standard and what a player should look like when they come play for the Silver and Black. With that gone, the Raiders have shifted to go with the youth movement for the most part.

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The Raiders are now going to have to decide whether they want to go with a youth roster across the board when it comes to the defensive side of the ball or whether they want to add a veteran presence.

That is to come this week, with free agency starting, we are going to learn more about the Raiders' regime and how they are going to tailor the defense. The Raiders have a hole in every position on defense, and they are going to address it in free agency.

Raiders Linebacker Position Needs to be Address in Free Agency

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The biggest gap on defense for the Raiders comes in the middle of the defense at linebacker. The Raiders will not have any returning starters from last season at that position.

They only have a few young players on their roster who have not had much experience on the field. The Raiders are going to have to address that quickly. They could do it by adding a veteran or wait until the 2026 NFL Draft and do it that way, and take a hit on defense next season.

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Two players out there that the Raiders could bring in to give them a good linebacker with experience are Bobby Wagner or Devin Lloyd.

Lloyd is one of the top free agents this offseason, and he will have a lot of different teams looking to add him. If the Raiders sign him, that will show that they are looking to build it fast. As for Wagner, he will give the Raiders a solid starter, but the veteran presence and the leadership will go beyond the field. Wagner will be like having a coach on the field.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Those two names are the ones that the Raiders need to look at if they do not bring back any of their linebackers from last season. The Raiders have different ways to do and they are going to do it the way they believe they can create something for this season and also for the future.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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