Raiders add Bryce Hager to linebacker corps

The Raiders continued to overhaul their linebacking corps Friday with the addition of linebacker Bryce Hager.

Hager, 28, played the last five seasons with the Rams, making the team as a seventh-round draft pick as a rookie from Baylor and playing 16 games in each of his first four seasons until missing 11 games in 2019 because of a shoulder injury.

With the Raiders having added Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in free agency to go along with returnee Nick Morrow and third-round draft pick Tanner Muse, Hager’s ticket to the roster would be on special teams. Kyle Wilber returns as a linebacker who was primarily a special teams player, and coach Jon Gruden signaled out undrafted free agent Javin White out of UNLV as an early standout.

In his first four seasons with the Rams, Hager never played more than 153 snaps on defense in a season but was a core special teams player ranging between 310 and 379 snaps.