John Spytek knew the Las Vegas Raiders could not go into the 2026 NFL season with the same linebackers they used last year, so the roster changed. The team added Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Segun Olubi in free agency, a clear reset for a defense that needed more range, more speed and more answers.
That is why Achane is part of the search around this group now: the Raiders are not just filling spots, they are trying to reshape how Rob Leonard can use his linebackers when the season starts. Cody Lindenberg and Tommy Eichenberg are back in the fold, and the hope is that they keep developing on defense while continuing to shine on special teams alongside Olubi.
The upgrade matters because last season the Raiders trotted out Devin White, Elandon Roberts and Jamal Adams for much of the year. That group carried the defense through a long stretch, but the new mix gives Leonard more ways to line up the front and more ways to pressure an offense without asking the same players to do the same thing every snap.
Walker is the clearest example of that shift. He is a sure tackler and a strong run defender, but he should also be used in a more diverse role under Leonard. The Raiders could roll him down toward the line of scrimmage in odd fronts and let him get after the quarterback, and one bold projection has him spending nearly one-third of his snaps on the edge while producing a career-high in sacks. That kind of usage would turn him from a steady linebacker into a moving part that changes the way the whole defense lines up.
Dean brings a different kind of value. He is regarded as one of the most intelligent linebackers in the NFL, and he can tackle, cover receivers and blitz. Leonard has already entrusted him with the green dot, which puts Dean at the center of the operation and makes him the voice that can sort the defense before the snap. The problem is simpler and less glamorous: his impact depends on staying healthy. The skill set is there. The question is whether he can stay on the field long enough for it to matter.
That is the real reason this linebacker overhaul matters today. The Raiders are not betting on one defender to fix everything. They are spreading responsibility across Walker, Dean, Olubi, Lindenberg and Eichenberg, with Leonard asked to turn the group into something more flexible than last year’s version. If Walker edges closer to the quarterback and Dean stays upright, the defense gets a different shape. If not, the Raiders will have spent the offseason changing names without changing the result.
