Will Raiders Let Key Defender Walk in Free Agency?

The Las Vegas Raiders will have to come to a decision on linebacker Divine Deablo when free agency rolls around.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) looks to evade the tackle of Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo (5) during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have an interesting offseason ahead. 

Barring a miraculous turnaround in the second half of the season, Coach Antonio Pierce’s team could be headed for a full-fledged rebuild. 

The Raiders will have massive cap space and an appealing draft selection on the horizon, enough for Raider Nation to feel optimistic about where this thing could be going. 

The Raiders are in a unique position. Once the calendar turns to March, several of their defensive starters will not be under contract. That includes seven defensive players who are starters or play starter-level snaps. 

One of those players is linebacker Divine Deablo. A former third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech, Deablo has become a serviceable player for the Silver and Black. 

Deablo transitioned to linebacker in the NFL after playing defensive back for the Hokies throughout his collegiate career. That transition has been solid, as he has totaled 255 tackles, eight for loss, three quarterback hits, four passes defended, and two sacks. 

Deablo has paired nicely with Robert Spillane, as the duo’s skills complement each other. Spillane is more of an old-school thumper at linebacker, sniffing out run plays and laying big hits. Deablo is a more modern linebacker who can cover tight ends and running backs. 

That coverage ability comes in handy for the Raiders. Deablo is a speedy, athletic player who has improved the ancillary facets of his game each season. He still has a way to go before he becomes an above-average linebacker, but he is on his way to becoming a complete player. 

The Raiders may want to see more pass-rush ability and aggressive tackling out of Deablo to be sure they want to re-sign him. Having just two sacks as an athlete of his caliber is low. The Raiders should turn him loose on blitzes more often, as few quarterbacks are able to outrun him. 

The other issue with Deablo is his availability. He has struggled to stay healthy at times, playing just eight games in 2022 and missing two games last season. Deablo missed three games this season due to injury. He must prove he can stay healthy in the final stretch of games this season if he wants to be a Raider in 2025. 

Deablo is just 26 years old, so he has plenty of good football left in him. The questions are, do the Raiders want to commit to him long-term with a big contract? Do they feel he has improved enough to earn one? Do they think he can stay on the field and not get injured? 

We will find answers to these questions when March arrives.

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