The Las Vegas Raiders got an immediate return on two big offseason bets in Week 1, and both came from familiar Georgia hands.
Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, former Bulldogs who signed three-year deals with the Raiders over the offseason, made strong first impressions in their debut against the Miami Dolphins. Dean landed a $36 million contract, while Walker’s deal came in at $40.5 million, and both signings drew plenty of questions from outside the building because of injury concerns and the size of the investment.
Those doubts didn’t linger long after Sunday.
Dean and Walker each finished tied with two other players for the most total tackles in the game. Walker looked exactly like the kind of defender Georgia fans remember - fast, active and constantly around the football. He added two solo tackles and later came up with a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win for Las Vegas.
Dean’s day may have been even louder. The former Butkus Award winner posted five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, and the sack came while chasing down Malik Willis, one of the fastest quarterbacks in the league. It was the kind of splash play that can change the tone around a player in a hurry.
One play from the game was even highlighted by FOX Sports: NFL on September 13, 2026.
For a pair of players who spent their college days as central pieces of Georgia’s championship defense, the debut was a reminder of why they drew so much attention in the first place. Both were top four in total tackles on a Bulldogs defense that averaged just over ten points per game in the modern era of college football, and they looked every bit like defenders ready to become key pieces in Las Vegas.
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For Georgia, Kamario Taylor has become part of a much bigger Heisman debate than just one early-season hot start. The question now is what he has to do to keep building on that opening stretch and stay in the award race as the schedule gets tougher and the spotlight gets brighter. In a league full of talented quarterbacks, every week can reshape the conversation, and Taylors path will be measured against both the SEC gauntlet and the standard set by the sports other elite passers. [Read more 🡒]
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SEC Injury Reports Are Fueling A Debate Georgia Fans Will Notice
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Georgias own report for the Arkansas game was more straightforward, with three players ruled out, including linebacker Chase Linton. Even so, the broader debate around how much trust these listings deserve has only grown louder, especially with fans keeping one eye on past game-week twists and the other on what the reports might really be telling them. [Read more 🡒]