Vita Vea Is Still the Move, Even After Devin White Picked Detroit

Devin White signed with the Lions on Sunday, which closes one chapter of Las Vegas's defensive offseason. He led the Raiders in tackles last season with 174 and added 2.5 sacks — the kind of production that doesn't quietly walk out the door. It does.

That makes the Vita Vea pursuit more pointed, not less. As I noted earlier this week, the trade report has been sitting there without resolution, and the Raiders' defensive interior remains thin heading into camp. Maxx Crosby is listed as Questionable, Jermod McCoy is still Questionable at corner, and the depth chart at defensive tackle doesn't yet feature a name that changes what opposing offenses have to think about. Vea — a run-stuffer who has anchored Tampa Bay's front for years — would do exactly that.

The defensive rebuild here is genuinely in flux. Rob Leonard has pieces to work with, and Isaiah Pola-Mao's 92 tackles give the back end some continuity. But the middle of this defense needs an anchor, and the offseason window for acquiring one is narrowing. White going to Detroit is a reminder that available players don't stay available.