A proven practice in NFL roster development is churning the bottom of the roster and hoping the cream rises to the top. In this case, the Raiders have brought in former Cincinnati Bengal Preston Brown to ostensibly compete for a roster spot with Will Compton and the recently re-activated Marquel Lee.
The Raiders starting linebackers in their nickel defense is set with Tahir Whitehead and Nicholas Morrow locking down those spots. The Raiders are rarely in base personnel (4 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers, and 4 defensive backs), but when they are it has been Will Compton who has stepped in as the third linebacker over the past few weeks.