Oakland Raiders: Will linebacker NaVorro Bowman re-sign?

The Oakland Raiders have struggled to find stability at the middle linebacker position. Will NaVorro Bowman re-sign with the team?

Oakland Raiders fans picked up the vibe right away — waiting for linebacker NaVorro Bowman to re-sign feels a lot like Perry Riley Jr.’s situation last year.

General manager Reggie McKenzie desperately needed help at linebacker and signed Riley off the scrap heap. He started his first game for the team Week 5 of the 2016 campaign.

For a player joining a team a quarter into the season, Riley fared well in the middle of the defense. So, you’d think the team would re-sign him, right? Even Bruce Irvin aka “Baby Reggie” vouched for him:

Yet, front office Reggie remained mum on re-signing Riley. Instead, he chose to select Marquel Lee in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and praised the pick as a potential solution at inside linebacker on 95.7 The Game with J.T. The Brick:

"We definitely think he has the potential to start, he’s a long ways away from that; we haven’t even begun to get the pads on. So, a lot will be determined between training camp and preseason, but so far he’s looked very well. At the time, we just, as far as a linebacker at that point, he was the best guy on the board, and we jumped all over that."

Still, fans wanted to see Riley back in uniform as a veteran insurance policy in case Lee needed time to develop behind the scenes. Even former head coach Jack Del Rio felt the defense needed more help at the position.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Riley never walked through the door. Lee played 171 snaps on defense and 179 on special teams. He lined up for 57 total coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Midway through the season, McKenzie added Bowman and the cycle starts again, with a little bit of change.

Oakland signed Tahir Whitehead, who can play in the middle, on the weak side and strong side. He’s done so through six seasons with the Detroit Lions. His three-year, $18 million deal suggests the team views him as a long-term solution at linebacker. Though it’s unclear how defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will use him, the 27-year old’s versatility allows the team flexibility in draft strategy.

In the first two scenarios, the Raiders could acquire a middle linebacker in the draft or give Lee another shot at the starting spot and pencil Whitehead into the weak-side position. In the next two scenarios, Whitehead could take over in the middle, and the front office can select a rookie to fill the weak-side position or increase Nicholas Morrow’s workload.

Whatever the plan, the Raiders have options.

The decision to sign Whitehead, who’s primarily started over the past four years, in the prime of his career, shows a slight budge in McKenzie’s stubbornness when addressing the linebacker position. He didn’t go after a player on the decline or coming off a down season due to injury or production.

On the other hand, it gives McKenzie a reason not to scramble to re-sign Bowman. He’s typically conservative with paying for or drafting high at the position. It’s unlikely he’ll bend in price for a player comparable to and older than Whitehead.

According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the Raiders made an offer to Bowman, but it’s quiet on both fronts:

Obviously, Bowman feels he’s worth more than the Raiders offered. He’s probably going to let weeks or months pass before making a decision. Though, the team has leverage with Whitehead’s versatility, McKenzie’s handpicked player at the position in Lee and the draft about four weeks away.

Here’s a final point. Guenther utilized bigger bodies at the middle linebacker position with the Bengals over the past two seasons. Take a look at the measurements for the primary starters in the spot:

• Rey Maualuga 6-2, 258 (2016)
• Kevin Minter 6-1, 246 (2017)
• Vincent Rey 6-0, 250 (2017)
• Hardy Nickerson 6-0, 232 (2017)

Kevin Minter landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, which created an opportunity for Hardy Nickerson, an outlier at his size under Guenther at the position, to start in the middle.

Now, take a look at measurements for the Raiders’ potential starters at middle linebacker, including Bowman, who could re-sign:

• NaVorro Bowman 6-1, 242
• Tahir Whitehead 6-2, 241
• Marquel Lee 6-3, 240

In terms of size, the Raiders already have two players who fit the description for a middle linebacker in Guenther’s scheme. All three have stronger run-defending qualities compared to coverage.

Next: Oakland Raiders: Getting older during free agency isn’t a bad idea

Why would McKenzie keep all three players who provide the defense with the same skill-set strengths? It speaks to why the oldest player in the trio likely received a hardline low offer. At 27, Whitehead is at the apex of his career. In his second season, Lee has room to grow.

If Bowman returns to the Raiders, he’ll make that decision well after the draft, but the modest proposed compensation for banging bodies at full speed in fierce competition doesn’t add up for the four-time All-Pro. Expect the 29-year-old to move on from the Silver and Black this offseason.

*Player measurements provided by: Raiders.com, Bengals.com and Pro Football Focus.