When Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Nick Sirianni decided to make Philadelphia the "Dawgs North" on defense by drafting UGA stalwarts like Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith Jr., and Kelee Ringo, they were immediately rewarded with a Super Bowl ring in 2024.
Now, another team is trying to follow suit and build their own version of those dominant Natty-winning Georgia defenses as they look to retool what was the worst team in the NFL last season.
Don't look now, but Mark Davis and the "Just Win, Baby!" Las Vegas Raiders are working on their own new version of "Dawgs West".
The Raiders have signed both Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to three-year deals
NFL free agency got off to a frenetic start on March 9, and several former Dawgs will be relocating and reuniting in 2026.
The Raiders have signed former Bulldog defensive captain Nakobe Dean to a three-year, $36 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. They also pried Quay Walker away from Green Bay on a three-year $40.5 million contract with $28 million guaranteed to reunite two of the dominant linebackers from the back-to-back National Championship squads of 2021 and 2022.
Dean, who has had a tough time staying healthy early in his NFL career, will undoubtedly be looked at by new Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak as that alpha Mike linebacker orchestrating the Raiders' defense on the field.
Meanwhile, Walker, who has been the green dot in the middle of the Packers' staunch defenses over the last three years, will bring his rangy, read-and-react approach when he plays next to his old friend and former Dawg teammate, Dean.
Dean and Walker will join the now healthy former Bulldog Eric Stokes, a cornerback, who is returning to Vegas on a new three-year $30 million deal. Stokes was a bright spot on a bad Raiders defensive unit in 2025. He made 16 starts and totaled 53 tackles and five pass breakups.
Throw in All-Pro tight end and Bulldog legend Brock Bowers on the offensive side of the ball, and the Raider roster is starting to look a whole lot like some of the top Georgia rosters that had a tremendous amount of success while they were in Athens in the early 2020s.
We'll see if this collection of former Dawg standouts can bring winning back to a once great franchise, but if Philly taught Georgia anything they likely will start finding a lot of success now.