Raiders 2025: Jaylon Smith latest veteran flier in reshaped linebacker room

Las Vegas bolsters experience in a group that has Elandon Roberts, Devin White as top two options

Out with the old and in with the … old?

That’s said in jest, but on the surface, that’s the gist of the Las Vegas Raiders inking veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith to a contract this past Monday. The Silver & Black’s linebacker room was light on experience with veterans Elandon Roberts and Devin White as the current frontrunners at the position group.

The 29-year-old Smith adds another linebacker who has a bevy of games and starts and it’s a return to the desert as the Notre Dame product played for the Raiders back in 2023 (one game, two total tackles). That season was the last Smith played in the league, but after a tryout this past weekend, Las Vegas saw enough to like and signed the second round pick (34th overall by the Dallas Cowboys) of the 2016 draft to an undisclosed deal (presumably a one-year pact at the veteran minimum).

Smith’s addition to the roster was part of a flurry of maneuvers the Raiders made this week. In comes Smith and others and out go Amari Burney and Brandon Smith in Las Vegas’ reshaped linebacker room.

Current Crop

With the additions of Smith and undrafted free agent Wesley Steiner, the linebacker room in Las Vegas is currently at nine. Smith joins fellow veterans Roberts and White to for a group that has seven (Smith and White) and 10 years (Roberts) worth of NFL experience.

The overall group is a solid mix of age and experience with youth:

Raiders Linebackers

• Elandon Roberts, 31 years old, 10th season
• Devin White, 27, 7th season
• Jaylon Smith, 29, 7th season
• Tommy Eichenberg, 24, 2nd season
• Amari Gainer, 24, 2nd season
• Cody Lindenberg, 23, rookie
• Jailin Walker, 22, rookie
• Matt Jones, 24, rookie
• Wesley Steiner, 23, rookie

Veteran Affairs

Roberts is the heavy favorite to be the starting middle linebacker for Patrick Graham’s Raiders defense at this juncture of the offseason. The 30-year-old had strong 2022 and 2023 campaigns (over 100 total tackles with seven combined sacks) before a 46-tackle 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 5-foot-11 and 235-pound veteran is the type of thumping defender that can help shore up the Raiders run defense with his instincts, quickness, and aggression.

Head coach Pete Carroll has preached competition since his hiring and an open fight for starting spots and snaps should bring out the best of everyone on the Raiders roster. After all, don’t bring your A-game and shine, you’re likely to get washed out.

Expect White and Smith to push Roberts at middle linebacker while putting forth challenges to claim the other starting linebacker spot. Both are looking to resurrect once productive and promising careers and have potential to be Raiders resurrection project success stories.

White is coming off the least productive season of his NFL career in 2024 that saw him play in seven games (one start) with the Houston Texans. he finished with 19 total tackles on 176 defensive snaps. During his first four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers White was a do-it-all type who could tackle, rush the passer, and be a nuisance in pass coverage. Raiders general manager John Spytek is all too familiar with White as he was in Tampa’s player personnel department that made the linebacker the fifth overall pick int he 2019 NFL Draft.

Smith last played in 2023 in Las Vegas. Before that, he was an 11-game starter for the New York Giants racking up 88 total tackles, one sack, and three tackles for loss. After four strong seasons in Dallas, Smith played for three teams in 2021 garnering four starts and 38 total tackles and a sack. Smith was a tackling machine who could also rush during his four seasons in Dallas. And if he remains healthy, can be a sure-tackling option at the position.

Youth Movement

Looking at the linebacker list above and you can see a divide from veteran experience to youthful talent: Two second-year players and four rookies.

Tommy Eichenberg (taken in fifth round (148th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft) and Amari Gainer (undrafted free agent) are both 24 years old and cut their teeth in Tom McMahon’s special teams unit during their rookie season last year. Gainer had more snaps on special teams (380) with Eichenberg close behind (313).

That duo has a pro experience edge over their younger contemporaries.

The Raiders took Cody Lindenberg in the seventh round (222nd overall) of the 2025 draft out of Minnesota, while the trio of Jailin Walker, Matt Jones, and Wesley Steiner were added post draft.

An open competition for roles can certainly open the door for the younger crop to make a run at the veterans ahead of them. And with their youth, the younger six are likely to have more energy and gusto to do work on McMahon’s special teams units compared to the older veterans.

Just how many linebackers see the field regularly on defense remains to be seen, however, Graham has traditionally used a 4-2-5 nickel alignment as his base defense and that means two starting linebackers with a third rotating in when needed. Carroll, however, has traditionally preferred a base 4-3 alignment that uses 3-4 elements such as the hybrid defensive end-linebacker that mans the LEO spot.

If the base changes to a three linebacker-alignment, then that’ll provide another starting spot and more snaps for a third defender.

Nonetheless, the presence of hungry young players in the linebacker room will push everyone to put their best foot forward.

Of Note: The Raiders linebacker room is a group with good size. Roberts and Steiner are the shortest of the group at 5-foot-11, while Gainer is the tallest at 6-foot-3. Smith, Eichenberg, Lindenberg and Jones are 6-foot-2 and in the 230-pound and above range.