Levi Edwards

The Las Vegas RaiderssignedGermaine PrattThursday, a few days after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The new linebacker adds depth and experience to a young Raiders defense as he heads into his seventh NFL season. Here are a few things to know about Pratt and what he brings to the Silver and Black.

Back with the Pack

The Raiders locker room won't be too foreign for Pratt, considering two of the team's top contributors were his college teammates.

The High Point, North Carolina, native played for the NC State Wolfpack from 2014-18, accumulating 236 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles and three interceptions in his collegiate career. He was named First-Team All-ACC his senior season, and then proceeded to post a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

While at NC State, he played alongside All-Pro punterAJ Coleand receiverJakobi Meyers.

Additionally the Raiders signedAlex Cappathis offseason, who played alongside Pratt for two seasons with the Bengals.

Providing flexibility

After being selected in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2019 NFL Draft, he quickly emerged as a leader of their defense.

By his second season in the league, he was named their full-time starting middle linebacker recording 88 starts in his tenure. He hasn't missed a game since 2022 and led the Bengals in tackles last year (80 solo, 143 combined).

It's also worth noting that Pratt has experience playing inside and outside linebacker throughout his career, bringing the ability to be interchangeable in the Raiders defense.

"[H]e's a really hard-nosed kid, tough kid, played a lot of football, has been really healthy, has played all of the positions to give us a flexibility that really will help us," Pete Carroll said of signing Pratt. "We've been really pleased with Elandon [Roberts], he did a great job of taking over the leadership position and calling everything, and Devin [White] has done a really nice job too. To put these three guys together where they're on the field at the same time, that's a loaded-up group. And they're all tough and they're all physical and they're all downhill players, which is the style that we love to play with."

Playoff heroics

Alongside linebackersElandon RobertsandDevin White, Pratt made a Super Bowl run with his former team.

Pratt has logged seven playoff games in his career, totaling 32 solo tackles and four pass deflections in those outings. He started in Super Bowl LVI when Cincinnati was narrowly defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20.

A big moment for him in those 2021 NFL playoffs ironically came against the team he just signed with. His interception at the goal line in the closing seconds of the AFC Wild Card game gave the Bengals their first playoff victory in over 30 years.