“Clear path to playing time” – Raiders sign 88-game starter Germaine Pratt to $4.78M deal as linebacker shake-up continues and Elandon Roberts’ role suddenly thrown into doubt - suong

The Las Vegas Raiders have remade their linebacker room this offseason, with 2024 starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo signing elsewhere. The team did add veterans Jaylon Smith, Elandon Roberts and Devin White, but none of those names are overly exciting.

Once the Cincinnati Bengals announced that they were releasing veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt, the Raiders were quickly looked at as one of the more logical landing spots. Well, he must’ve felt the same way.

According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schutlz, Pratt has signed a one-year contract with the Raiders that could be worth up to $4.78 million with incentives. Schtulz also reported that there were “several” teams interested in signing the linebacker, but Las Vegas provided the most clear path to playing time.

Pratt immediately becomes one of the favorites to be a starting linebacker for the team. He’s started in 88 games throughout his career and has never missed more than two games in a season. Last season, his 143 tackles were tied for the 10th-best in the NFL.

Pratt was an important player for the Bengals for several years, but they decided to go in a different direction. He should be an instant impact player for the Raiders.

Elandon Roberts May No Longer Be Starting MLB

The player hurt the most by the Pratt news is likely Elandon Roberts. The free agent signing had a clear path to winning the starting middle linebacker job. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, he was the front-runner before this news dropped.

“It’s early, but it’s clear that Elandon Roberts is the front-runner to start at mike linebacker,” Reed wrote. “The veteran has struggled in pass coverage in the past but has held up well in that area during OTAs. He has also stepped up to help younger linebackers such as Tommy Eichenberg, Amari Gainer and Cody Lindenberg.”

White and Smith are more likely to play on the outside, so they shouldn’t be as affected by the news. That said, there will still be a competition. Just because Pratt makes more money than Roberts doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed a starting job.

The battle between Pratt and Roberts is now one of the most interesting to watch for the Raiders in training camp.

Roberts Was Trying to Establish Leadership Role

This was supposed to be Roberts’ best chance to make an impact in his career. While that’s still possible, it’s not going to be as easy.

As a middle linebacker, he’s supposed to be one of the leaders of the defense. He previously spoke about how he’s been trying to establish a leadership role on the team.

“The standard is there, but it just can’t be talked about,” Roberts told reporters recently. “You’ve got to come in every day and you’ve got to win the day. You can’t try to come in and be one foot in, one foot out, and I think Pete is doing a very good job instilling that in us every day.”

Pratt has been a captain for much of his career, so the Raiders now have two middle linebackers who can command a room.