The Raiders have had their fair share of free-agent misses this season. From Damarious Randall (who didn’t make the roster) to Maliek Collins, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden certainly didn’t have a perfect offseason by any means. However, they do deserve a ton of credit for signing linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.
Despite being a part-time player in Chicago, the Raiders believed that Kwiatkoski’s best football was ahead of him and that he could be an every-down linebacker in the right scheme. That is proving to be the case as he is shining for the Raiders.
According to Pro Football Focus, Kwiatkoski is currently the site’s No. 4 overall graded linebacker in the NFL. Despite grading out as only an average run defender, Kwiatoski is the second-best linebacker in coverage this season. He’s allowed just 96 yards in coverage on 26 targets and has one interception to go along with three pass breakups.
Kwiatkoski has developed into everything the team hoped for when they signed him this offseason. The Raiders are still struggling to find the right pairing with him in the middle of the defense, but having someone as rock-solid as him helps the entire defense play more sound football. Don’t be surprised if Kwiatkoski makes the first Pro Bowl of his career for his performances in the 2020 season.
