ALAMEDA -– The Raiders have cycled through linebackers this season, now featuring a lineup much different than summer suggested.
July’s four-man rotation featured Curtis Lofton as a permanent fixture in the middle, flanked by Ray-Ray Armstrong and Malcolm Smith. Sio Moore seemed set to join the group after getting healthy from major offseason hip surgery.
Much has changed since then. Lofton is focused on running downs. Armstrong has been cut. Moore was traded.
Malcolm Smith is the only remaining fixture. The scheme changed some to feature Aldon Smith as a rush linebacker off the edge, but he’s now suspended a calendar year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.