Spytek Speaks: Inside the Raiders’ Free Agency Blueprint

WHAT THE RAIDERS ARE REALLY BUILDING ON DEFENSE

What did free agency actually reveal about the Raiders’ defense? We break it all down in our latest episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast with Cody Alexander of MatchQuarters.com. This isn’t just a recap of their moves — it’s about connecting the dots on what Rob Leonard is really building. From how the addition of Taron Johnson changes things on the back end, to why three-safety looks are becoming the norm, and whether the Raiders even need a true nose tackle, this episode gives you a clear picture of where this defense is headed.

CHEF SPY SPEAKS

We heard from John Spytek this week, which marked the first time he’s jumped in front of a mic since he was dubbed “Chef Spytek” by many fans — and the Raiders’ social media team — after cooking in free agency.

“When you need to be aggressive you have to go for it. The saying upstairs this free agent class was ‘intelligently aggressive’ we weren’t gonna get out over our skis, we weren’t gonna create our own urgency, but when the opportunity presented itself we were gonna let it rip,” said Spytek to JT the Brick. “We were just fortunate this year with, strategically, how we put it all together and the group work that we did in the personnel department and with the coaches that we were able to let it rip in some key spots and get some really critical players brought into this organization.”

It’s hard to argue with what the Raiders did in free agency. Even with the Maxx Crosby trade blowing up in their face, the moves they made make a lot of sense, and it’s easy to see the plan.

Offensively, they addressed their biggest question mark with the best player at the position, adding Tyler Linderbaum. Defensively, they brought in a bunch of younger, athletic players who can tackle well and stop the run — which obviously plays right into what they’ll be seeing from opposing offenses in the division.

Long story short, they injected a ton of young, talented players onto this roster who feel like they’ve got a lot to prove and still have room to grow. I like the strategy. It can help atone for some of their draft sins over the years and inject talent into this roster at key spots.

But enough of me talking about what Spytek and company did — let’s hear from the man who made the moves. Here are some quick hitters on what he had to say about each of the free agent signings:

TYLER LINDERBAUM

“We had a lot of great conversations with Klint and the coaching staff and how important the center is in this offense that we’re gonna run. Particulalrly a player of his caliber, and his traits. And so we tried to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

JALEN NAILOR

“I think the cool thing about him is, he was really the fourth option there (in Minnesota). When you look at the two receivers they have, both first round picks, both excellent players, and then the tight end they have there, too. Whenever he was asked to produce, whenever he had to step in when those guys were dinged up or whatever in Minnesota, he performed. He’s got a lot of the traits we look for in a wide receiver.”

NAKOBE DEAN AND QUAY WALKER

“With the game the way it is now, they’ve got to be able to run and play at that position. You’re in sub groups a lot. So if they can’t play in nickel and dime, and all the sub packages then you really end up with kind of a one-down linebacker and these guys are not that. They can cover, they can run sideline to sideline, they can both pressure the quarterback, which is really important in our scheme, and they’re the right kind of people.”

MALCOLM KOONCE

“Coming off the ACL injury in the previous season in ‘24, you always expect those to take a little bit of time. Even if they’re totally healthy, a lot of those guys have talked about the mental block. Like, they gotta get over the hump, and I think we started to see that with Malcolm in the second half of the year, and really like, in December where he kind of hit his stride. And you kind of got to see the Malcolm Koonce that really I think we were all used to seeing.”

KWITY PAYE

“He’s tough, he’s violent, he’s physical, he does things the right way. He’s had good production in his career. He’s a great teammate, and we were just trying to add good players at a premium position…”

ERIC STOKES

“Just a really professional approach from Eric. You know, detailed, about the right things. I’d see him in the cafeteria studying film when guys were hanging out — not that guys can’t hangout — but just like, just very intentional with his process, his practice prep. One of those things we were curious to see last year, ‘cause he had an injury history in Green Bay, was, could he stay healthy? And he played 16 games last year, too. That was good to see. When he was asked to cover, he covered. There weren’t a lot of balls that went his way, which, when you’re a good cornerback you don’t get a lot of balls thrown your way. We just wanted, at an important position, and maybe one we were a little bit thin at, we couldn’t let Eric Stokes walk out of the building.”

WHAT’S COMING NEXT?

“We’re up against it now. So I don’t want the fans to expect a lot of big things coming. The owners were very generous, and our cap space is tight. We’ll have plenty of room to sign the draft picks.”

Speaking of the draft, keep scrolling for more on that…

SBSN MOCK DRAFT 1.0

We ran our first mock draft this week during a live taping of our podcast. The draft didn’t quite work out the way my other mocks behind the scenes had, but overall I’m not too mad about the way it panned out. Here’s what we ended up with:

Rd. 1 - Pick 1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Rd. 2 - Pick 36: Christen Miller, DL, Georgia

Rd. 3 - Pick 67: Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana

Rd. 4 - Pick 102: Bud Clark, S, TCU

Rd. 4 - Pick 117: Brian Parker II, OT, Duke

Rd. 4 - Pick 134: Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska

Rd. 5 - Pick 175: Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas

Rd. 6 - Pick 185: Lorenzo Style Jr., DB, Ohio State

Rd. 6 - Pick 208: Michael Heldman, Edge, Central Michigan

Rd. 7 - Pick 219: Eric Gentry, LB, USC

For a full pick-by-pick breakdown of why I made each selection and how I think they could fit into the Raiders’ plans, check out the live mock draft podcast below.

NAJEE NO. 2 RB?

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

RAIDERS ACTUALLY HIRE QB COACH

For a minute there, it looked like the Raiders were going to move forward without a designated quarterback coach. Even with all the experience they have on the offensive side of the ball from a coaching standpoint, that still would’ve been a strange move. Prior to making the hire, they were actually the only team in the league without one.

No need to worry, though. Fernando Mendoza will have a coach assigned to him in Mike Sullivan, who brings 32 years of experience as an assistant at both the college and NFL levels.

He was the quarterbacks coach for Eli Manning and the Giants in 2011, when they beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl — which also happened to be one of the best seasons of Manning’s career.

Sullivan also helped Josh Freeman set Tampa Bay’s franchise passing record with 4,065 yards in 2012.

Now, lump Sullivan in with Klint Kubiak — who’s gotten the most out of quarterbacks seemingly everywhere he’s been — Assistant Head Coach Mike McCoy, who worked with top pick Cam Ward last year and arguably got more out of him than Brian Callahan did before he was fired, and Offensive Coordinator Andrew Janocko, who’s been Kubiak’s right-hand man for years, and you’ve got plenty of strong voices around Mendoza if/when they take him first overall in this year’s draft.

Raiders fans can’t be too mad about the way Kubiak built out his staff, especially considering he had to do it after the Super Bowl, when many coaches had already been scooped up.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“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 Jeremy Chinn at practice last year. After talking to Cody Alexander about the rise in usage of three safeties around the league I can’t help but wonder what Jeremy Chinn’s usage will look like this year for the Raiders after they added Taron Johnson. Taron has over 5,000 snaps at nickel over his career, so he’ll likely take over more of those nickel looks that Chinn was in last year. I’d imagine that means Chinn likely goes back to playing more of a traditional safety role but watch out for him in dime linebackers looks, too. Cody likes him there, and according to PFF, he’s takeen 1,954 snaps in the box over his career, some of those are big nickel looks, but the guy’s got the chops to work as a dime backer and you’d have to feel pretty good about him in that role when they go to those looks. I’m also curious to see what other safeties they add in the draft, too and how that impacts his role.

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?

We’ll catch you guys again on Tuesday when the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast drops at 10 a.m. PST, so enjoy your weekend and keep and eye out for that one early next week!

Catch ya next time,