Oakland Raiders: Biggest takeaways from Week 1 of OTAs

A Reset for Veteran Linebackers

The Raiders doubled-down on veteran linebackers this offseason, signing Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall. Ironically, their birthdays are two weeks apart, but the latter is a year older, going into his age-30 term.

The veteran linebackers should feel comfortable operating in defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s defense.

Guenther was Burfict’s linebacker coach before he became a defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. The two spent six seasons together between 2012-17. According to ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez, the 28-year old projects as the middle linebacker with an added responsibility.

“Guenther vouched for Burfict, saying he would be in great shape, come in with a chip on his shoulder and a broad knowledge of Guenther’s system to play middle linebacker and wear the green-communication-dot helmet in the 4-3 scheme,” Gutierrez wrote.

According to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, the Raiders pitched their 4-3 base scheme to Marshall.

"The Raiders also sold him on a scheme he says is a better fit for him. The Broncos moved to a 3-4 defense when Wade Phillips took over in 2015 and they’ve stuck with some version of it since. In Oakland, Marshall is not only back in the 4-3 that he started in as a pro, but he’s also still in a division he’s all too familiar with."

On paper, Marshall had his best season under former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. He logged 95 solo tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and two sacks—all career highs—during the 2014 campaign.

As a Las Vegas native, playing in the same division as his former team, Marshall comes into this season with personal incentives to extend his career with the Raiders.