2025 Full-Time and Green Dot Linebackers: Week 2
What did Week 2 teach us about the state of the green dot LBs for 2025?
Week 2 of any given NFL season is about confirming what we saw in Week 1. Was it a mirage? Or the start of a trend? That’s what we’re going to dig into in this edition of the full-time/green dot linebacker article. A quicker reminder before we start:
What is the green dot?
Think of him as the quarterback of the defense. He has the comms helmet with the green helmet sticker, relays play calls from the defense coordinator to the rest of the defense, and is responsible for getting everyone aligned before the snap. Most of the time, it’s a linebacker wearing the dot, but we’ve seen safeties take on that role, too.
Here’s how the snaps and usage played out in Week 2.
*-Injured
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals defense played 85 snaps in Week 2. Mack Wilson was on for 100% of the snaps with the dot. He was a bit more inefficient this week, due to the nature of the snaps, but finished with a 9.4% tackle rate. The Cardinals looked to be in dime for a good portion of the game, as Akeem Davis-Gaither saw just 62% of the snaps. Davis-Gaither is droppable in all formats. Wilson, even with a three-down role, is a fringe LB3.
Week 2 Green Dot: Mack Wilson
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons limited the Vikings to just 47 offensive plays. Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo were both on the field for 100% of the snaps, with Elliss manning the dot. The Falcons were in nickel for all but 3 snaps.
Week 2 Green Dot: Kaden Elliss
Baltimore Ravens
It looks like Teddye Buchanan has taken over the LB2 spot in Baltimore. Buchanan got the start in Baltimore’s nickel and had a full-time role in Week 2. Buchanan saw 82% of the snaps and came off the field with Roquan Smith in the blowout. Trenton Simpson saw just 15 snaps against Cleveland. Smith had a huge game with 15 tackles (3 TFLs) and a scoop and score. Smith wore the dot for the defense. Buchanan will be worth a pickup with his potential full-time role.
Week 2 Green Dot: Roquan Smith
Buffalo Bills
This game was a snoozer, and the Bills brought their starters off with the game in hand. Terrel Bernard was a three-down LB and wore the dot. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Matt Milano got a little dinged up. It appears to be a hamstring injury, and he didn’t play in the second half. Dorian Williams got 30 snaps as Milano’s replacement. He’ll be the IDP to target on the waiver wire. Hopefully, Bernard can see a full game. The Bills looked to be in nickel for most of the game and were featuring two off-ball LBs. So Williams does have some IDP value. I mean, he led the Bills in tackles last season, so he’s an efficient tackler when he has the opportunity.
Week 2 Green Dot: Terrel Bernard
Carolina Panthers
If you’re starting 3 or fewer LBs, Trevin Wallace can be dropped for better options. Christian Rozeboom was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. It wasn’t a great outing for Rozeboom, as just 1 of his 7 tackles was solo. Wallace saw 76% of the snaps, though I’m not ready to remove him from the full-time chart. We’ll see how his usage plays out next week. The Panthers were in dime a bit more than last week to combat Arizona’s personnel.
Week 2 Green Dot: Christian Rozeboom
Chicago Bears
TJ Edwards returned from injury last week, but saw just 30 snaps before suffering a hamstring injury. Early reports aren’t great, as it’s expected to be a multi-week injury. Noah Sewell is the next man up here, as he was on for 36 snaps. Ruben Hyppolite looks to be their LB in base, but he saw just 8 snaps as Chicago was in nickel. Sewell looks to be the LB2. Tremaine Edmunds was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot.
Week 2 Green Dot: Tremaine Edmunds
Cincinnati Bengals
Logan Wilson saw 100% of the snaps and wore the dot, as usual. The development here is the big decrease in Demetrius Knight Jr.’s usage. He has flashed solid coverage skills, but Knight was off the field in passing downs, and the game script was not in his favor today. Knight saw just 58% of the snaps. We’ll see if it’s a weekly thing, but in shallow leagues, he should probably be left on the bench next week. Oren Burks saw an uptick in snaps this week (32) and rotated in and out with Knight. Knight started 8 of 12 drives while Burks started 5 (including one with Knight in base).
Week 2 Green Dot: Logan Wilson
Cleveland Browns
Carson Schwesinger saw all but 3 snaps and wore the dot on defense. The Browns were mostly in nickel/2-LB against Baltimore’s offense. Mohamoud Diabate saw just 9 snaps. Devin Bush continues to provide IDP value as the LB2, as he’s getting the nickel snaps alongside Schwesinger. Bush led the team in tackles (8) and had a nice sack on Lamar Jackson. Bush is looking like a solid LB3, as long as he’s seeing nearly 80% of the snaps. Schwesinger is still the LB1 with the dot.
Week 2 Green Dot: Carson Schwesinger
Dallas Cowboys
Kenneth Murray was on the field for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot in Week 2. I think the big takeaway is that Jack Sanborn’s IDP value is not quite dead yet. It’s getting better. Sanborn saw 84% of the snaps and was second on the team in tackles (8). The Cowboys were in nickel against the Giants for most of the game. Sanborn came off on most 3rd down and saw a lot of the early down work. Though he was in on 78% of the Giants’ passing plays, he still only saw 8 total 3rd down snaps. The 84% snap rate is encouraging. Damone Clark saw most of the snaps in their base package.
Week 2 Green Dot: Kenneth Murray
Denver Broncos
Are we ever going to see a healthy Dre Greenlaw ever again? Greenlaw missed his second game, but Denver is optimistic about his return next week. We’ll see. Justin Strnad got the start and appeared in 80% of the snaps (an uptick from last week). He seems to be the pass rush specialist at off-ball, as he now has sacks in consecutive games. Alex Singleton was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. His tackle numbers aren’t what they should be, as he still might be getting comfortable on his knee. We’re used to a 19% tackle rate from Singleton, so hopefully, his tackle numbers will start to rise. The Broncos looked to be in nickel for most of the game, but were in dime/single-LB for 20% of the game.
Week 2 Green Dot: Alex Singleton
Update 9/20/2025: Dre Greenlaw was placed on IR today, so he’ll miss the next four weeks. I thought he was close to returning, but the IR stint will allow him to get to full health by Week 7. Just stash him on IR until then. If Justin Strnad continues to get an 80% usage rate, he’ll have some IDP value as an LB3. Strnad has big play upside, as he saw 11 pass rush snaps in Week 2.
Detroit Lions
Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone were both on the field for 100% of the snaps. Campbell wore the dot and turned in a solid game. The Lions were mostly in base/3-LB packages, as Derrick Barnes saw 88% of the snaps. He’s almost like NE’s version of Christian Elliss. Barnes saw 53% of his snaps on the edge.
Week 2 Green Dot: Jack Campbell
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay ran no dime snaps this week and was in nickel for 86% of the snaps. Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper were the three-down LBs, with Walker wearing the dot on defense. Cooper now has consecutive weeks of 10+ tackles and was a menace to the QB, recording a half-sack and 2 QB hits. Cooper also had two tackles that resulted in no gain. Walker added a QB hit of his own to go along with 8 tackles.
Walker and Cooper each saw 6 pass rush snaps and got pressure on 33.3% of their pass-rush snaps. Cooper saw 6 snaps on the edge, while Walker saw 5. Jeff Hafley is definitely having some fun with his two off-ball LBs.
Week 2 Green Dot: Quay Walker
Houston Texans
Azeez Al-Shaair took a scary hit to the head, but ended up missing just 3 snaps. Christian Harris got the snaps while Azeez was out. Harris was mostly in on base snaps, as he finished with 17 snaps. Azeez and Henry To’oTo’o each saw 77 snaps and combined for 21 tackles. The Texans were in nickel and featured their two off-ball LBs. To’oTo’o is looking like a solid LB3.
Week 2 Green Dot: Azeez Al-Shaair
Indianapolis Colts
Zaire Franklin played a full game this week and was on for 100% of the snaps with the dot in Week 2. His tackle production, however, hasn’t been elite, with just a 9.3% tackle rate through two weeks. Unless you’ve been blessed with an elite LB group, you have to start him. Joe Bachie did have a full-time role this week, as the Colts were in nickel/2-LB packages more often than last week. Bachie saw 83% of the snaps. His usage could fluctuate weekly based on opponent and personnel, so he’ll be tough to trust in shallow leagues.
Week 2 Green Dot: Zaire Franklin
Jacksonville Jaguars
Foyesade Oluokun is still the only Jacksonville LB to roster in IDP leagues. Foye finished with 7 tackles (3 solos) but added a sack to his fantasy total. He was also on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Devin Lloyd saw a huge increase in usage, but didn’t see a full-time role. Lloyd was on for 75% of the snaps and an INT saved his day, as he finished with 2 tackles. The offseason hype on Ventrell Miller seems to be exactly that: just hype with no substance. Miller saw just 10 snaps. The Jaguars were mostly in nickel, as Miller and Dennis Gardeck saw snaps over Lloyd. Lloyd is clearly ahead of the LB2 rotation.
Week 2 Green Dot: Foyesade Oluokun
Kansas City Chiefs
Drue Tranquill saw a full-time role, once again, in Week 2. Tranquill was on the field for 88% of the snaps, as the Chiefs were in nickel for most of the game against the Eagles. Nick Bolton saw 100% of the snaps with the dot.
Week 2 Green Dot: Nick Bolton
Las Vegas Raiders
Devin White was the lone three-down LB for Vegas this week. He saw 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Germaine Pratt’s usage dropped below 80% this week, as he saw 76% of the snaps. What’s also a bit concerning is that his edge use was up to 30 snaps. Even with the edge deployment, he recorded 7 tackles. Elandon Roberts saw 67% of the snaps, after exiting the game with an elbow injury last week. Roberts was pulled on most 3rd downs, as he saw just 4 snaps. The Raiders were in their base defense for most of the game and there was a slight rotation with Pratt and Roberts in their nickel. White is emerging as the weekly start for your IDP teams. Pratt is looking more like an LB3/4 if his snap rate continues to hover around 76%.
Week 2 Green Dot: Devin White
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers sent Daiyan Henley managers in a tizzy when they declared him questionable with an illness. He was active and delivered a INT right away, thanks to lucky bounce. It definitely wasn’t some excellent coverage play. Henley would play 100% of the snaps the wear the dot. The Chargers looked to be in dime/single-LB for 22 snaps, as they went 3-safeties with Derwin James, Tony Jefferson, and Alohi Gilman. With Denzel Perryman out, Tory Dye was the nickel LB2 opposite Henley. Marlowe Wax saw just special teams snaps, as the Chargers went with two off-ball LBs in Week 2.
Week 2 Green Dot: Daiyan Henley
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams were once again dime/single-LB heavy in Week 2, using dime on 38% of their snaps. Omar Speights saw 41 snaps, which was just 62% of the total, so his usage rate went down from last week. He’s mostly in on early downs and played just six 3rd down snaps (mostly short yardage). He’s droppable in redraft leagues. Nate Landman wore the dot for the Rams and saw 100% of the snaps. Through 2 games, Landman has recorded a 14.3% tackle rate.
Week 2 Green Dot: Nate Landman
Miami Dolphins
Once again, it was a productive week for the Miami linebackers. Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson were the three-down LBs, with Dodson wearing the dot. Brooks and Dodson have combined for 44 tackles through the first two weeks. Miami appears to be a nickel/2-LB defense, and Willie Gay, who had a great preseason, saw just 3 snaps. There are plenty of tackles to go around between the two linebackers.
Week 2 Green Dot: Tyrel Dodson
Minnesota Vikings
With Blake Cashman on IR, Eric Wilson wore the dot and was in on 100% of the snaps. Ivan Pace Jr., however, had a full-time role and played 89% of the snaps alongside Wilson and was in dime/single-LB for just 6 snaps. The Vikings were in their base defense for most of the game, which featured two-off ball LBs and five linemen. The Vikings were down Harrison Smith, so that might have contributed to Pace’s usage, as they weren’t in dime/3-safety as much as they wanted to be. We’ll see if Pace’s usage goes down when Smith returns.
Week 2 Green Dot: Eric Wilson
New England Patriots
Well, it’s time to panic about Robert Spillane. I was worried New England’s defense would suppress his tackles, but the alarms are sounding. Since becoming a starter/full-time LB with the Raiders, he’s never gone back-to-back games with 3 tackles. A sack saved his IDP day. I can’t suggest dropping him, but it’s time to put him on the bench. Christian Elliss is playing off-ball, as he has just 2 snaps on the edge. Elliss saw 74% of the snaps in Week 2 and recorded 5 tackles. The Patriots are nickel-heavy, but the Pats are running enough dime/single-LB packages to cap Elliss’s floor. Elliss is an LB4/5 in deeper leagues.
Week 2 Green Dot: Robert Spillane
New Orleans Saints
The Saints looked to be in nickel for the majority of the game, as Pete Werner saw 89% of the snaps. A ho-hum game from Werner, with 5 solos. Demario Davis was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Davis led the Saints in tackles (11) and has started the season with a 14.6% tackle rate. Davis is looking like a weekly LB2 with Werner as an LB3/flex in deeper leagues.
Week 2 Green Dot: Demario Davis
New York Giants
The Giants have lost Micah McFadden for a good chunk of the season. McFadden’s replacement, Darius Muasau, saw just 23 snaps; however, a concussion ended his day early. Muasau started the first 4 series, playing 12 of the first 15 snaps. They did run quite a bit of dime/single-LB packages with extra DBs against the Cowboys. Bobby Okereke saw 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Okereke is off to a hot start with an 18.2% tackle rate. As of now, Okereke is the only Giants LB to roster.
Week 2 Green Dot: Bobby Okereke
New York Jets
No real changes for the Jets this week. They’re a nickel-heavy defense, and Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams saw 100% of the snaps. Sherwood wore the dot and had a huge rebound from Week 1 with 13 tackles.
Week 2 Green Dot: Jamien Sherwood
Philadelphia Eagles
Jihaad Campbell was on the field for all but 2 snaps. His tackle numbers saw a bit of an uptick, as his usage changed slightly from last week. He saw fewer edge snaps (6) and 5 slot snaps. He was still mostly used off-ball. His tackle floor raises a bit with fewer edge snaps. Zack Baun saw 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Vic Fangio continues to feature two off-ball LBs in his defense.
Week 2 Green Dot: Zack Baun
Pittsburgh Steelers
Patrick Queen suffered an injury in the second but only missed a handful of snaps. However, his play overall wasn’t great, but he made a few plays here and there, including a TFL on Zach Charbonnet. Cole Holcomb came on for the few plays Queen missed, and it was Payton Wilson who wore the dot with Queen off the field. Queen returned before the end of the 2nd, and took the dot back over. Wilson saw 93% of the snaps, so he remains an IDP option with his full-time role, as it does look like Pittsburgh is running mostly nickel defense with two off-ball LBs.
Week 2 Green Dot: Patrick Queen
San Francisco 49ers
Dee Winters was on the field for all 2 snaps alongside Fred Warner. Warner, as usual, was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot. Warner had quite the game with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Robert Saleh is running a nickel/2-L defense, so Warner and Winters are the three-down LBs.
Week 2 Green Dot: Fred Warner
Seattle Seahawks
Tyrice Knight saw just 69% of the snaps this week, and it’s time to be concerned if he’ll be a full-time LB this season. His preseason knee injury didn’t help matters, so we’ll see if Seattle is still being cautious, but I’m doubting it. I was surprised to see his usage rate lower, especially with Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon both inactive. Ernest Jones was on the field for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot as usual. Knight was in on 85% of the nickel/2-LB packages; however, Seattle ran a modified nickel with a single off-ball LB and 5 linemen up front.
Week 2 Green Dot: Ernest Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After tonight’s game, I might be on SirVocea Dennis watch. He was put in a blender in coverage and the PFF grade was not kind at 26.7. He was responsible for 92 yards allowed on just 3 catches. The LB depth is shallow, but the Bucs can go 6 DBs if they need to keep Dennis off the field. This will be something to watch if you have Dennis on your rosters. Lavonte David was on for 100% of the snaps and wore the dot.
Week 2 Green Dot: Lavonte David
Tennessee Titans
Cody Barton was the lone three-down LB and saw 100% of the snaps with the dot. Cedric Gray continues to see a full-time role, as he was on the field for all but 4 snaps. Barton and Gray combined for 9 tackles, as it looks like early on, the Rams aren’t that great of a matchup for opposing LBs. Barton is a weekly LB2 with his role with the dot. Gray is a deeper league option if you’re starting 4+ LBs.
Week 2 Green Dot: Cody Barton
Washington Commanders
Bobby Wager and Frankie Luvu were both on the field for 100% of the snaps, with Wagner wearing the dot. Although the Commanders were in dime for 5 snaps, Luvu remained on the field as a stand-up edge (outside the TE) and Will Harris alongside him for those dime snaps. Washington was in nickel for most of the game. Luvu had 16 pass-rush snaps with a 12.5% pressure rate. The result was just 2 assists. Luvu has been deployed on the edge for 33% of his snaps, so Luvu’s tackle floor is lowered with this usage. The result? A 6.6% tackle rate through 2 weeks. He’s going to be hard to trust as a weekly starter, even with a three-down role. Wagner had another solid game with 11 tackles (3 solos) as he played mostly off-ball.
Week 2 Green Dot: Bobby Wagner
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