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It escaped nobody’s notice that the Raiders did not sign a free-agent linebacker, one of the biggest positions of need, during the first wave of free agency. But that could be changing soon, as the team is hosting several of them and has interest in others.
On the day Vontaze Burfict is released and available, worth noting: The #Raiders are already doing work on LBs, hosting FAs Manti Teo and Aaron Lynch, source said. Oakland may have interest in Burfict, too.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2019
Te’o played sparingly last year, falling behind some of the Saints’ talented young linebackers in their depth chart. He has dealt with injuries throughout his stints with the Chargers and Saints, but has been a reliable run-stuffing MLB when on the field.
Aaron Lynch was drafted by the 49ers out of South Florida in 2014, and he had 14 sacks in his first three seasons with San Francisco. He joined the Chicago Bears, where he has three sacks as a backup to edge rushers Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd. When given a starting role, Lynch does have plenty of ability to get to the quarterback.
The Raiders have expressed interest in free-agent ILB Brandon Marshall, per source. Marshall played previous six seasons with the Broncos, five as a starter. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) March 18, 2019
Marshall, not to be confused with the receiver of the same name, is a linebacker out of Nevada who has spent seven years with the Jaguars and Broncos, and was a member of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50. In 2017 he led Denver with 106 tackles and had three sacks. The Broncos declined his option for 2019, making him a free agent. Marshall has been a strong playmaker and a stalwart on one of the best defenses in the NFL for years, and would be an excellent veteran option for the Raiders at this point.
The Raiders have plenty of options and money to spend, so look for them to add a new linebacker sooner than later.
UPDATE:
Back to work. Former #49ers DE Cassius Marsh and LB Aaron Lynch, and former #Chargers LB Manti Te’o all visited #Raiders facility today. All 3 have left the building.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 18, 2019
Cassius Marsh also visited today, and he’s a guy I thought should have a lot more interest than he’s gotten so far. Even if all these guys have left without any reported deals, don’t be surprised if the Raiders sign one of them in the coming days. They apparently do not mean to leave the edge position to just rookie draft picks.
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