Linebacker Germaine Pratt is headed to Las Vegas just days after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders made quick work in adding Pratt to bolster their linebacker room, just the latest move in Pete Carroll's awfully active start since taking over as the team's head coach.
Add Pratt to the long list offseason acquisitions that Carroll hopes can make an impact on a defense that desperately needs it. Las Vegas needed help in the second level in particular, especially defending the run. Pratt still has at least some juice in that department, and it’s something that several teams are going to realize they missed out on.
Here’s who should kick themselves most for not getting Pratt as mandatory minicamp ramps up and teams start to take shape ahead of the 2025 season.
Indianapolis Colts
This feels like the most obvious answer. We just wrote at FanSided about how Lou Anarumo could have been interested in reuniting with Pratt, who manned the middle for years during his stint in Cincinnati. Anarumo's system is notoriously difficult to master, and he could have started to rebuild the Colts defense with Pratt directing traffic.
The biggest reason Indy needed Pratt wasn’t just his on-field production. They need experience: The Colts are thin at linebacker with injuries to Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies, and all that's left behind them for depth are inexperienced options.
Anarumo’s defensive scheme doesn’t rely heavily on linebacker production, but it doesn’t mean they don’t need help there. Think about the Bengals defenses of the past: They haven’t been great at stopping the run and needed a strong secondary to actually produce.
The Bengals were able to get by with Pratt and Logan Wilson for years. It worked well enough, as Cincinnati had one of the top defenses in football for a stretch. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out too well in 2024 and that was largely because the secondary wasn’t as strong.
The Colts missed out on adding Pratt and it might bite them in the back. The relationship he has with Anarumo could have gone a long way in rebuilding this defense. Hopefully they don’t regret it.
Dallas Cowboys
I know, I know; Jerry Jones is cheap, so this was always a long shot. But Jones has spent time and money investing in this roster this offseason, so naturally this would have been an ideal move. The Dallas Cowboys lost Eric Kendricks on the interior and don’t have DeMarvion Overshown as an edge rusher as he works back from a knee injury
This team needs linebacker depth, and it could have used Pratt as an immediate addition to the locker room. As of now, they are relying on Kenneth Murray to hold down the interior, and that might not be enough.
When Dallas has been productive defensively, they aren’t just setting the edge; they’re also getting pressure from their interior linebackers. Long gone are the days having Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee holding it down.
Dallas could have replicated that as best as possible with the addition of Pratt, but they weren’t swift enough. Jones is probably content with how he constructed this roster, which in this case isn’t a bad thing. In years past, that wouldn’t mean much. This year, he’s actually invested and made good moves.
Maybe not going after Pratt could be a blessing in disguise. But they could very well regret it too.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders opted to bring Bobby Wagner back, which is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The Commanders were the second-best team in the NFC with an aging linebacker room. Imagine if they added Pratt, too? Especially in a Dan Quinn defense.
Wagner is a solid linebacker, but as stated before, he’s old. He probably won’t play past this season and Washington needs more depth at linebacker, a position they largely neglected this offseason. The secondary is obviously a big one as well as another edge rusher, but getting a long-term solution for the interior linebacker position is critical.
This team could use some help in run defense and Pratt had a 70.9 grade in run defense last year, which ranked 63rd out of 189 linebackers per PFF. The Commanders ranked 30th in the NFL in run defense last year.
Washington better hope they perform better this year or they’ll regret not moving quickly on Pratt. Then again, they have a disgruntled receiver in Terry McLaurin, who’s waiting for a contract extension. So maybe their priorities were on that rather than adding more weapons on defense.
Either way, the Raiders were smart to get Pratt. The Bengals were content with having a subpar defense again in 2025 and torching any chance for Joe Burrow to make a real run. I guess one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Pratt has a chance to show the Bengals and the rest of the league why the Raiders got a steal.