The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books for the Las Vegas Raiders. They added 10 players in the draft and are expected to sign 18 undrafted free agents.
That’s a lot of new players on the roster, so some fringe players are officially on the bubble. The first casualty is going to be linebacker Jamin Davis. The Raiders announced that they’ve released the veteran.
Davis joined the team last season and played in two games. He was mostly on the practice squad all year and was signed to a Reserve/Futures contract after the season.
Davis first came into the NFL as a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He had solid numbers his first three years with the Commanders, but they decided to move on. He has bounced around the league the last two seasons, having played for five different teams since 2024.
Davis will go back to the drawing board, trying to land with his sixth team. He’s a really good athlete, but hasn’t been able to find a consistent home since the Commanders moved on. He is only 27, so there could be some upside there. If he doesn’t sign, he could still be on the Raiders’ radar down the road.
Linebacker Room Looking Very Different for Raiders
With Davis gone, the Raiders’ linebacker room is almost completely different from what it was last year. Jamal Adams, Elandon Roberts and Devin White started most of the games for the team in 2025, but none of them are on an NFL roster right now.
The Raiders decided to give money to Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean in free agency. Those two are going to be the headliners at the position. They didn’t use any draft picks on linebackers, but they did sign Xavien Sorey and Chris Thomas as undrafted free agents.
Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg are the notable returners. Both are young players who haven’t gotten a ton of chances to play yet. The Raiders have been really poor at linebacker, but things are looking up at the position.
Is LB Still a Need for Raiders?
Walker and Dean are, without a doubt, big upgrades over what the Raiders had last season. However, the depth at the position is a bit concerning. Dean has missed seven or more games in two of his four seasons. Injuries are a problem for him.
Walker has also missed multiple games in each of the last three seasons. If those two can stay healthy, the Raiders should be solid at linebacker, but the team doesn’t have proven depth.
Eichenberg has taken less than 10% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps since joining the team. Lindenberg didn’t take a single defensive snap as a rookie. Segun Olubi and Brennan Jackson are also on the roster, but neither has taken many defensive snaps. The Raiders are running a 3-4 base defense. While they technically need four linebackers on the field, two of those will mostly be pass rushers. Regardless, the Raiders might want to add at least one more veteran linebacker to the roster before the season.
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