The Las Vegas Raiders made a big splash during free agency, adding one of the best players available to the roster by signing former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum to a record-setting contract. Not only is Linderbaum considered a top free agent in the 2026 class, but he’s also regarded as one of the top centers in the NFL.
For example, Pro Football Focus has graded the three-time Pro Bowler as the sixth-, fourth-, fifth- and fifth-best center with marks of 74.6, 78.5, 79.9 and 80.2 during his four seasons, respectively. A big reason for that is he’s been an excellent run-blocker, grading out in the mid-80s in three of four years, with a 78.6 mark in 2023 as the lone outlier.
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Those numbers alone likely piqued the Raiders’ interest, but even better, Linderbaum is an excellent fit in new head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense. Coming out of Iowa, the former Hawkeye’s unique quickness and athleticism stood out as arguably his biggest selling points in the 2022 NFL draft class. Those traits are a perfect fit in a wide-zone heavy rushing attack like Kubiak’s.
But talk is cheap. Let’s take a look at the film and dive into a few examples to see why Linderbaum should thrive in Las Vegas under his new head coach.
Linderbaum’s ability to generate movement on combo blocks is a big reason that he’s such a good fit into a zone-run-heavy scheme.
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The Ravens are running outside zone on this play, as the Buffalo Bills slant their defensive line to the strong side of the formation, which is in the same direction as Baltimore’s play-call. At first, the center looks playside to potentially help the right guard against the 3-technique defensive tackle. But with the Bills slanting, that defender stays in the B-gap.
With the 3-tech out of his reach and the SAM linebacker lined up outside the right tackle, Linderbaum shifts his eyes to the backside and protects the A-gap by helping the guard with the 1-technique or shade nose tackle. He wins that block by driving the nose tackle about five yards up the field and into the linebacker, essentially getting a two-for-one by taking a couple of defenders out of the play.
That creates a nice backside cutback lane, which running back Derrick Henry exploits for a chunk gain on the ground.
Here, we’ll see another combo block on outside zone. The difference between this clip and the last one is that the Ravens run it to the weakside of the formation, where the Chicago Bears have a 2-technique defensive tackle, 340-pound Andrew Billings. But the result is about the same.
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Linderbaum has good leverage at the point of attack and keeps his feet moving through contact to generate displacement—just horizontal rather than vertical displacement—against the defensive tackle and create a cutback lane for the running back. Granted, Billings does get tripped to make the finish look better, but he’s on skates for the entire rep, and this is a win for the center regardless.
This time, Linderbaum is one-on-one with a defensive tackle (Ed Oliver) on a reach block. Now, he does get some help with Oliver slanting into the playside A-gap and against the offensive line. However, the center is able to capitalize by using his get-off and flipping his hips to seal the defender in the backside A-gap, creating another cutback lane for Henry.
This is where free-agent signing’s initial quickness and mobility help him be effective in the trenches as an outside zone blocker. He’s fast to get to the spot and nimble to get the proper positioning to give running backs big alleys to exploit. Granted, the gain is pretty minimal on this play specifically, but the result of Henry not being patient enough or seeing the hole open late.
What also stands out about Linderbaum’s game (and something you may have already picked up on) is his ability to adjust on the fly. The play above is another outside zone run, and initially, he looks to help the playside guard against the 2-technique defensive tackle. However, the Bills are stunting their defensive line again, where the defender goes into the B-gap.
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Once Linderbaum recognizes that the guard has the defensive tackle handled, he shifts his eyes and momentum to the backside of the play. That’s where the middle linebacker is crashing downhill, so the center adjusts his assignment to get a hat on the backer and help spring Henry for a long, 46-yard touchdown run.
This is an example of combining football IQ with athleticism, recognizing that the picture has changed from pre- to post-snap and having the ability to make the necessary adjustments.
We’re veering away from the outside zone reps, as the one above is mid zone, which is also a staple in Kubiak’s playbook.
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Chicago calls a DT twist, where the nose tackle attacks the weakside A-gap and the weakside defenisve tackle/3-technique wraps around the nose and into the strongside A-gap, while the middle linebacker scrapes over the top and into the weak B-gap. That’s designed to create confusion for the offensive line, while allowing the nose to get penetration.
However, Linderbaum manages to absorb contact without giving up too much ground, while showing off some impressive rotational strength to keep Billings out of the strongside or playside A-gap and finishing the block with the defender on the ground. Also, notice how Linderbaum does another great job of flipping his hips to create a rushing lane.
Unfortunately, the right guard is a little slow to pass off the defensive tackle and pick up the linebacker, forcing the running back to bounce outside anyway. But from the center’s perspective, this is a great rep.
This last clip is an influence wham or trap concept, which isn’t a staple of Kubiak’s offense, but is something he’ll dial up occasionally. Also, this is a great example of Linderbaum’s second-level blocking, and that’s a big part of being an effective zone-run blocker.
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This is where his get-off and overall athleticism really shine. He gets up to the linebackers in a hurry to avoid getting beaten by a blitz and get to a spot to cut off the backer (Matt Milano). A great angle off the line of scrimmage helps with that, too.
Then, the center does a good job of engaging with Milano and positioning himself with where Henry has a clear second-level rushing lane. To finish, Linderbaum shows off some grip strength to stay engaged with the linebacker, helping spring Henry for a big gain on the ground.
Overall, the free-agent offensive lineman’s football IQ, athleticism and overall mobility are what make him a great fit in Kubiak’s offense. That’s why the Raiders backed up the Brinks truck for Linderbaum and why fans and Ashton Jeanty should be excited about his arrival in Las Vegas. The NFL’s worst rushing attack just got a lot better with this signing.
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