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Raiders Outside Linebackers: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Hondo Carpenter | Last updated Jul 16, 2026 12:30 PM ET

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HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders woke up today knowing that in 12 days, the veterans will be ready, and training camp as an entire team will be underway.

GM John Spytek will have an enjoyable but difficult job of sending the NFL offices the initial final 53-man roster on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT). That is significantly different from previous years. In the past, those cuts came following the final preseason games on Tuesday.

In my seven-year tenure serving as your beat writer, I have previewed each position group, placing a number next to each position group indicating how many players I project the Raiders to carry at that spot when the final 53-man roster is out.

Outside Linebackers: Four

I am going to get technical here, and while I try to write conversationally as much as I can, that isn’t possible, as I am going to explain what will appear not to be different but will be in the new system. I have never, and won't start today, talking down to my tremendous and intelligent audience. Football, while simple, is technical, and I need to get technical in order to explain some conceptual changes.

In the DL exchange in a 3-4 defense’s nickel package, Rob Leonard will most likely pull the heavy, space-eating zero-technique DT off the field and replace him with a fifth DB, commonly referred to as the nickelback.

Additionally, it creates an edge shift to maintain a pass rush. Even with Maxx Crosby (who many believe, even at OLB, will keep a hand in the dirt), the two hybrid OLBs step up, put their hands in the dirt, and act as traditional defensive ends.

Some defensive coordinators are not as dogmatic as others, so in the case of Malcolm Koonce, who played standing up at Buffalo in college, he may allow him to stand. That remains to be seen.

The resulting front would then look vastly different from a 3-4 and more like the traditional 4-2. The remaining two 3-4 DEs slide inside to play DT.

This quick transformation, should Leonard want four guys with hands in the dirt, corresponds to four down linemen (two converted 3-4 DEs inside and the two 3-4 OLBs on the edge) and two off-ball ILBs behind them.

In simple terms, for those just wanting to understand what they are looking at, visually and structurally, this creates a 4-2-5 alignment that functions exactly like a traditional 4-3 defense, with its "Sam" LB replaced by an extra DB.

No. 1: OLB/DE Maxx Crosby, 6’5” 255 lbs.

What a last nine months for the Raiders' amazing player and captain.

Fans have a ton of questions about the Raiders' transformation into a 3-4 base defense under the new coaches, specifically with the Condor. Fans are well aware of superstar Maxx Crosby’s style, and they will still see his uniqueness flash primarily as an edge rusher rather than as a traditional standing-up OLB.

I am well aware that the 3-4 scheme traditionally designates edge rushers as outside linebackers, but the staff intends to utilize four-down lineman fronts often in their dime and nickel packages. In today’s pass-happy NFL, that is the majority of the time.

That plays right into Crosby’s wide alignments, allowing him to do what makes him elite, which is to rush the QB. Most don’t realize that while fans are awed by his pass-rushing, he is equally dangerous and impactful in defending the run, so the base being 3-4 won’t have him dropping into coverage, as some feared; the team isn’t going to try to change an elite attacking player into something he isn’t.

No. 2: OLB/DE Kwity Paye, 6’3” 265 lbs.

There was a lot of speculation that once the Crosby trade was rejected, the Raiders regretted signing Paye. That is categorically false. They wanted him with or without Crosby, and they should have. He is an elite athlete, freakish in speed and first step. Can destroy TEs and rushing lanes. He can attack on the outside like a thing of beauty.

He is susceptible to screens and misdirection because he is an attacker and overpursues. Like Crosby, I expect him to play more with his hand in the dirt, but he may stand up more than Crosby at times and can slip inside to become an inside force with his speed in passing situations.

No. 3: OLB Keyron Crawford, 6’4” 253 lbs.

This rookie shone this spring and early summer, which is great, but also has to be seen through the lens that he plays a position predicated on pads, not shorts and a t-shirt. He is an elite high-explosive bender and twitchy. The way he moves laterally is a thing of beauty. Earned a lot of respect this spring because, despite the heat, he showed a motor. Having Maxx Crosby on the roster is so important, and his teammates and coaches noticed.

He will get some good reps this year; he isn’t a starter…yet, but he will be. He has to get better this year in his lower-body strength, and he can be moved by offensive linemen with sound technique. His hands aren't the best, but his work ethic will help him get it, as the Raiders have tremendous coaching and veterans who love to teach.

Like all rookies, he will have his struggles, but he will make plays that should excite a fan base looking ahead. You will be impressed with his pass coverage skills as well.

No. 4: OLB Malcolm Koonce, 6’3” 243 lbs.

The Silver and Black originally took Malcolm Koonce in 2021. In those five seasons, he has not been the most impressive player. When Josh McDaniels got fired, Patrick Graham turned him loose, and after that, for the rest of the season, he looked like one of the elite DEs in the NFL.

The entirety of 2024 was lost to injury, and last year, Koonce never got back to being that elite player.

The Raiders brought him back on a one-year prove-it deal. He didn’t have to stay, but he wants to be here. The team gave him $11 million to prove he is healthy, and a return to late 2023 form will be parlayed into a massive contract for this young man. Koonce is a classic example of how being a good person benefits you.

People at every level of this organization like and respect him, and no one is rooting against him. All offseason, including training camp in 2024, he looked like he hadn’t lost a step before the injury (prior to the start of the season), and he has been putting in all the work to make the dream come true.

Things That Make You Say 'HMMM….'

I have no doubts that Spytek would have no worries carrying more than four guys here. I will go so far as to say that in the 2028 season, when the Raiders expect to compete and make the playoffs, they will carry more than four players on the roster here.

But for this first year of the rebuild, there is only so much the team can do. This position is far from finished; like OLB, they will be searching the waiver wires and exploring trades, and if a viable long-term answer doesn’t materialize, I would have full expectation of a key free agent or draft pick at this position next season. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone who isn’t on the roster today made the 53-man.

It isn’t over, and the three men we are about to show you next have a wide-open chance to impress.