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One Comment From Quay Walker Opened Up a Ton of Possibilities
A revealing comment from Quay Walker unlocked some fascinating possibilities for Rob Leonard’s defense, plus the latest on Nakobe Dean, and the competition brewing up front.
Jesse Merrick
June 12, 2026
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QUOTE OF THE DAY"Obviously, it's built around a quarterback, and you have a system in place, but you've got to look at everybody on this roster and say, 'Okay, offensively what do we do best, and what do the quarterbacks like?' And there's going to be a time once we get through this and get closer to games, where you start game planning, you start asking the quarterbacks what are their favorite plays. What do you really like? What do you not like? I'm a firm believer in that red pen is your best friend. If you don't like something, cross it out, we've got plenty of other calls. As coaches, we've got too many plays in the game plan more often than not. But it's all about the players and finding out what they do best." — Mike McCoy, Raiders’ Assistant Head Coach. To me, this just screams how confident this staff is in what they do, particularly the last part about having plenty of other play calls. I’m not sure that’s something you’d have heard Josh McDaniels say when he was in Las Vegas. |  |
In today’s newsletter, we dive into why Quay Walker’s versatility could unlock an entirely new layer of Rob Leonard’s defense and what it means for the Raiders’ push to become more multiple. We also examine the latest on Nakobe Dean and his absence from OTAs and minicamp. Plus, we revisit the battle for the starting right guard job, including why Jackson Powers-Johnson’s path to a starting role may be less certain than many expected heading into training camp.
If you’re enjoying our newsletter, share it with a friend — the bigger our audience grows, the better the conversation gets.
THE GOOD, BAD & INTERESTING AT RAIDERS MINICAMP
In our latest podcast, Ryan Hoag and I break down everything we saw from Day 2 of minicamp at Raiders HQ, including Fernando Mendoza’s up-and-down performance, Kirk Cousins’ continued command of the offense, and some important clues about how Klint Kubiak wants this unit to operate. We also dive into the latest on the offensive line, Malcolm Koonce’s role in Rob Leonard’s defense, Quay Walker’s versatility, Connor Heyward’s fit in the offense, and much more. If you want a boots-on-the-ground breakdown of what actually stood out from minicamp, this is the episode for you.
UPDATE ON NAKOBE
"Yeah, Nakobe's been here every day. He didn't practice, but all injuries and things like that, I don't want to talk about this time of year. We just want to get all our guys healthy to training camp. That's really the most important thing."
Ryan Hoag and I talked about it on Wednesday’s podcast: the fact that Nakobe Dean missed both OTAs and minicamp was a pretty clear indication that he’s dealing with some sort of injury. Klint Kubiak all but confirmed as much without explicitly saying Dean is hurt.
That said, Dean does have an injury history, and while it may be a bit concerning for fans to see him already missing time, the way this staff has handled Jermod McCoy thus far makes me less worried about the situation. It feels more precautionary than anything else — a case of not wanting to push a player who has missed time in the past.
Is it a good thing? Obvously not. But, at the end of the day, they need Dean in September and beyond, not in May and June. Don’t smash the panic button yet.
QUAY’S INTERESTING COMMENTS
Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore/FanShotz
Speaking of linebackers, we’ve gotten a pretty good look at Quay Walker. He was out there throughout OTAs and minicamp, and it’s clear this guy is going to do a lot for this defense.
“I'm playing more positions that I probably ever played in my career, but this is a challenge that I'm willing to accept. This is what I've always wanted to do. I want to always want to be a guy who can move around and play multiple positions.”
We’ve talked a ton about how Rob Leonard wants to be multiple on defense. We’ve hit on all the different looks he can employ up front with the pieces he has along the defensive line, and the fact that they’ve got a bunch of 3-tech bodies who can slide all over the place.
Last week, I also brought up an interesting wrinkle they might be able to employ from time to time by putting all their pass rushers on the field at the same time and throwing the traditional rules of what a 3-4 front “should” look like out the window. In that scenario, I suggested lining up Adam Butler at nose tackle, flanking him with Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye at the defensive end spots, and then putting Malcolm Koonce and rookie Keyron Crawford on the edge.
When I brought that look up to Ryan Hoag, he wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of Koonce dropping back into coverage. We even saw Koonce struggle as a dropper a few times during practice on Wednesday.
Amid all of that, I didn’t even think about replacing Koonce with Quay Walker in that look. I had it stuck in my mind that Quay is an inside linebacker, but as he told us on Wednesday when he was detailing how things change as an on-ball or off-ball linebacker, he very much can — and will — line up on the outside at times.
“Anytime I move down on the edge, first thing comes to mind is all right, my awareness kicked in. I'm having pre-snap awareness, just trying to see what the formation is, and see what I can recognize, and see if it's going to be run, or see if it's going to be pass, or whatever the case may be. If the run comes to me, make sure I set the edge and do my job, not try to go one for one, but just try to be as physical as I can. Honestly, make as many plays as I can as well, so it doesn’t really change I'll say. So, I just keep the same."
Throwing Quay on the edge solves the problem of Koonce dropping back into coverage and adds even more intrigue to the defense. It creates yet another scenario opposing offenses have to prepare for.
Add a healthy Nakobe Dean into the mix, and there are a ton of possibilities for how Leonard could deploy the rest of the unit. Good luck figuring out who’s rushing and who’s dropping.
As for Nakobe, he can likely do many of the same things, too. Both he and Quay should be able to move all over the formation rather than being confined to traditional inside linebacker roles. And that’s something Quay is clearly excited about.
“I remember when I first signed here, and we were doing an interview up here, and I got back to, 'I'm being used the right way.' I think the last team I played for kind of took it the wrong way. I wasn't saying it to be disrespectful towards the previous team, which is the Packers. I was just saying I'm moving around in different places, I feel like that's where my strength is; you can move me down on the ball or you can bring me back. It's a lot that I can do, and I just feel like right now I'm being used the right way.”
Add it all up, and the conversation about just how multiple this defense can be becomes even more intriguing.
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MISS ANYTHING?
Catch up on some of our recent stories:
 What If the Raiders Put ALL Their Pass Rushers on the Field?— The more Rob Leonard talks about his defense, the more intriguing it gets. Plus, fresh OTAs observations. |  The Traits That Have the Raiders Excited About Fernando Mendoza— The rookie QB is earning praise across the building, a young receiver keeps making plays, and Week 2 of OTAs gave us plenty to talk about. |
ICYMI: DAY 1 MINICAMP TAKEAWAYS
Miss Day 1 of Raiders minicamp? We’ve got you covered.
In this episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast, I break down my biggest takeaways after spending the day at Raiders HQ, including Fernando Mendoza’s continued development, Kirk Cousins’ impact on the quarterback room, and why coaches keep raving about Mendoza’s approach behind the scenes. We also dive into the latest on the offensive line, Ashton Jeanty and the running backs, Nakobe Dean’s status, and some defensive standouts who caught my eye during practice. If you want the full recap from the first day of minicamp, and a better understanding of where this team stands heading into the summer, check out the episode linked above.
BATTLE AT GUARD
Earlier this week, I had Ryan Hoag on the show to talk big picture about the Raiders, and he offered up a hot take: he doesn’t think Jackson Powers-Johnson will start a single game for the Silver and Black.
While I disagree with the take, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
I know the previous staff was a mess, but they clearly didn’t like him. There’s also the fact that he’s dealt with his share of injury issues. I still like the kid and think there’s something there, but he’s going to have to prove it to yet another coaching staff.
The more I talk about him, the less reassured I find myself becoming, which is a little unsettling. More than anything, it makes me think the battle for the starting right guard spot is very much wide open heading into training camp, and Kubiak seems to be following that same line of thinking based off of part of his answer when he was asked about Caleb Rogers.
“Well, I think there's a lot of great competition at the guard position especially….”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for anyone currently penciled into the starting lineup. Maybe it’s coach-speak, maybe it’s not. Either way, keep an eye on the battle at both guard spots when training camp gets rolling next month.
FANSHOTZ FRIDAY
Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore/Fan Shotz
“FanShotz Friday”
By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.
This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. We’re not featuring it because of those guys, I’ll be honest, they didn’t stand out at minicamp. That’s not shade, just an observation. But, we’re featuring the shot because it’s a great look at the lids. Klint Kubiak said the Raiders would have to earn their shield and it seems they’ve done just that after the logo was slapped back on the helmets for minicamp. How exactly did they earn their shield, you ask? Well, Klint answered that question on Thursday but I’m still not sure how exactly they earned the shield back. So I’ll let you decipher that one:
"I just think we knew from the start that we were all just trying to do our part to make the Raiders better and to earn the shield, and like I said before, our guys have really worked their tail off, and what we've asked them to do as coaches has been a lot this time of year, and they've bought in and they're working their tail off. So, I thought they definitely earned that thing, but that's an everyday thing for us to earn the respect of the organization, of the Raiders that have come before us, players and coaches, and that's something that we take really seriously. And we spent a lot of time this offseason talking about the history of the team and getting our players familiar with who are these faces around the building, who are the great Raiders by position, and that's something really important to me that we educate the team on the history of this place."
Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.
WHAT’S NEXT?
A nice five or six-ish week break until the end of July when the team reports for training camp. The pod rolls on until then, though. So we’ll catch you on the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. PT. Having said that, I’ll be taking some time off here and there, so I’ll keep you posted if we’re skipping an episode, or a newsletter on any given week before camp starts.
Catch ya next time,
Silver & Black Sports Network is an independent media outlet. We are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by the Las Vegas Raiders or the NFL.
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