Tahir Whitehead’s release by Raiders gives market another run-stopping linebacker

The Las Vegas Raiders have officially released linebacker Tahir Whitehead which bolsters the free agent market at the position with another veteran.

The Las Vegas Raiders have decided to officially part ways with veteran linebacker Tahir Whitehead in a move that clears quite a bit of cap room for a team that didn’t necessarily need it.

Whitehead has played for the Raiders for the last two seasons after signing a three-year, $19 million contract with them as a free agent during the spring of 2018. Before that, he played for the Detroit Lions for the first five years of his career after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Temple.

At this point, Whitehead’s best days are behind him, but he’s a reliable performer who has played in every single game but one in each of the last seven seasons. He’s also started every game for the last four. He’s provided stability in the middle for the Raiders as they’ve developed a new defense under Jon Gruden and his staff, but now Whitehead’s time has come.

Whitehead is a complete liability in coverage, but for a team looking to secure a dependable run-stopper, he could pay dividends. Whitehead, who had 108 tackles for the Raiders last year, has crossed the 100 tackle mark in each of the past four seasons. This year he also had 6 tackles for a loss and 1 batted pass.

At this point, a team like the Chiefs are looking at life without Reggie Ragland, which likely means shopping at some point for a replacement if Ragland leaves for a new team in free agency. The Chiefs can likely wait until after the draft to see how those cards fall, but Whitehead could be a nice veteran addition—a known quantity at a position of need—if the Chiefs are unable to upgrade significantly due to money or draft value not being there.