The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for an action-packed offseason and they've made a roster move to prepare themselves for free agency. According to ESPN's Field Yates, Las Vegas has cleared about $6 million by cutting Tahir Whitehead.

Back in 2012, Whitehead began his career with the Detroit Lions as a fifth-round pick out of Temple. After four seasons of having an inconsistent role with the Lions, Whitehead became a full-time starter in 2016.

In his final two seasons in Detroit, Whitehead combined for 242 tackles, seven deflections, and an interception. Then, after six years with the Lions, Whitehead signed a three-year, $19 million contract with the Raiders in 2018.

For the past two seasons, Whitehead has started in 32 consecutive games for the Raiders. Over that span, Whitehead contributed a total of 234 tackles, six deflections, and an interception. But with Las Vegas looking to overhaul their linebacker corps, it made sense for them to release Whitehead.

If Whitehead were to remain with the team in 2020, he would carry a cap hit of $7.2 million. As a result of releasing Whitehead, the Raiders create $6.25 million in cap savings. At the same time, Whitehead's release will incur a $1 million dead-cap penalty for Las Vegas this offseason.

With free agency nearly a week away, the Raiders could be a team that considers signing one of the coveted options. On the other hand, they could choose to address the linebacker position in the 2020 NFL Draft. Nevertheless, Las Vegas now has an even bigger need at linebacker following the release of Whitehead.

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