Photo by Tony Gonzales
LB Nick Roach signed with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent, March 13, 2013. The veteran linebacker, originally signed by the San Diego Chargers, spent his first six seasons with the Chicago Bears playing behind LB Brian Urlacher. Roach was added to the Raiders roster to take on a leading role as the starting middle linebacker.
The intelligent linebacker saw the most playing time in his career, staying on the field for every single defensive Raiders snap. He totaled 1,076 snaps (998 defensive, 78 special teams), according to Football Outsiders. The only Raiders linebacker close was LB Kevin Burnett with 931.
Roach led the Raiders defense with 112 tackles (83 solo) and was second in sacks with 5.5. He also recorded the first interception of his career and had a career-best 4 forced fumbles.
In addition to his hard work on the field, Roach was active in the community off the field. He participated in bagging groceries for seniors during the off-season, supported the Madden-Mariucci Bocce Ball Tournament and signed autographs in exchange for toys for Toys for Tots.
