Levi Edwards

Frederick Jones from Washington, D.C., asks:

"Who are some linebackers on this squad you're most excited to see?"

The two obvious ones are the Georgia Bulldogs who are reuniting in Las Vegas:Quay WalkerandNakobe Dean.

Acquiring Walker, at 26 years old, and Dean, at 25 years old, as they're about to enter the prime of their careers could have a real upside. Walker led the Green Bay Packers in each of his four seasons here played there. And with the Silver and Black, he could be deployed as more of a pass rusher in a base 3-4 defense with Rob Leonard.

Dean not only excels in open space as a tackler, but also one of the best blitzing linebackers in the league. He's recorded seven sacks over the last two seasons.

"I see Quay, he's an avatar out there," Leonard said. "He's a guy that looks like an outside linebacker that can play off the ball, play on the ball, he blitzes. Yeah, he's a leader. Him and Nakobe have been great, and you can definitely feel [their] presence."

James Carter from Indiana asks:

"Has the defense done enough in free agency and the draft to be a force this year?"

Only time will tell, but the intentionality is certainly there.

While I just addressed the additions of Walker and Dean, more moves were made to bolster the defense across the board. The first was trading forTaron Johnson, who was regarded as a premier nickel cornerback during his time with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson will serve as a veteran leader in a young secondary as the Raiders drafted four defensive backsTreydan Stukes,Jermod McCoy,Dalton JohnsonandHezekiah Masses.

"His change of direction is his elite," Leonard said of Taron Johnson. "His awareness, his vision, instincts. I mean, when you can see it in one day, it's pretty glaring."

Pieces were also put in place on the defensive line as the team signedKwity Paye, who piled up 30.5 career sacks with the Indianapolis Colts. They also draftedKeyron Crawford, who had a 19.6 percent pass rush win rate in 2025 at Auburn, with their third-round pick.

"Up front, it's always important to be deep and be able to rotate," Leonard said. "It just is. ... I don't think for how we teach D-line that it's something drastically different. What's my technique? Who am I striking? And then, in terms of 3-4, 4-3 that's just in my mind the edge guys, who's dropping, who's rushing, which is a little bit different, but I don't think the change is as drastic as it may sound."