Who's The Middle Man?

Oakland unsure who will fill role at MLB

Jack Del Rio knew heading into the offseason that the Raiders desperately needed to upgrade their situation at middle linebacker. It was apparent to anyone who has watched the team in recent years and was clearly evident to Oakland’s 54-year-old coach who spent more than a decade playing linebacker in the NFL.

Yet through the first two weeks of training camp, it’s uncertain exactly what the Raiders have at the position.

Fifth-round draft pick Marquel Lee and second-year player Cory James were both taking reps with the first defense early in camp, though James was also getting time in at weak side linebacker much like he did as a rookie in 2016. Ben Heeney, who has started five games at middle linebacker over the past two seasons, is also in the mix but was unable to practice early in camp while on the Non-Football Injury List.

It’s a situation Del Rio knew the team would be in after the team spent the majority of the offseason trying to fix other issues such as the interior pass rush, shoring up the back end of the pass defense and finding a capable backup quarterback.