John Spytek just completely rebuilt one of the Raiders’ biggest problems in a span of minutes
The Raiders are cooking right now.
The Las Vegas Raiders fixed their linebacker room in a span of minutes. On Monday, with just two minutes separating the broken news, the Raiders agreed to terms with former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean and former Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker.
Raiders signing Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean fixes the linebacker room
Linebacker was one of the biggest issues for this roster, if not the biggest, outside of the quarterback position. General manager John Spytek has not been afraid to go get some good players and spend some money on them. For Dean, it’s a three-year deal worth $36 million, with $20 million guaranteed. Quay Walker’s deal is three years, $40.5 million with $28 million guaranteed. If all goes well, Spytek just fixed one of the Raiders’ biggest issues in the linebacker room for years.
To get a better feel of both players, I talked to Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports’ Green Bay and Adam Holt of A to Z Sports Philadelphia:
If you like to question the decision to draft an off-ball linebacker in the first round, you got it right with Quay Walker. He was for the Packers exactly what the buyer beware would advise you against: An athletic freak who could never put everything together on the football field. Walker is a great tackler and solid against the run. More than anything, he was beloved by Jeff Hafley and his coaching staff due to his work ethic. However, his athletic level hasn’t fully translated because of the mental side of his game. But more than anything, Walker has significant issues in pass coverage — over the past three years, his PFF coverage grades were 52.6, 48.8, and 44.9. And that’s in chronological order, so he’s not getting any better at it. The Packers didn’t pick up Walker’s fifth-year option last offseason because linebacker numbers got affected by edge defenders listed as outside linebackers — yes, it’s a bizarre rule by the NFL. Initially, general manager Brian Gutekunst said the Packers intended to keep Walker beyond his rookie contract, but the lack of development made it unjustifiable to pay a steep price for him.
Dean is an impressive athlete at linebacker when he is available. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued him throughout his pro career. On the field, Dean can get after the quarterback, totaling 7 sacks and 16 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. Dean had a breakout regular season in 2024 on the way to a Philly Super Bowl win, but he was injured for the postseason. His landing spot will be important, as he is best set in a downhill role that can be aggressive at the line of scrimmage. Dean’s coverage abilities were inconsistent during his time with the Eagles, and they may already have a replacement in-house with Jihaad Campbell, a first-round pick in 2025.
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