Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 8, 2014 The Oakland Raiders struggled in the defensive backfield and now find themselves with both of their starting cornerbacks possibly departing in free agency. Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders signed Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter last offseason to one year deals and neither one of them have been re-signed yet. The Raiders have also not re-signed starting free agent Charles Woodson yet making there another void at the free safety position. This gives McKenzie a chance to reload and possibly build a better defensive backfield with some of the solid options available in this years defensive back free agent class. With teams able to talk to players tomorrow, it's time we take a look at some free agents that McKenzie and company may look at. Alterraun Verner, age 25 - Verner has developed into one of the best corners in the league already at just 25 years young and looks to be the most highly-sought corner on the market this offseason. Verner, a California native, played his college ball at UCLA and has now played four seasons in the NFL, all with the Titans. According to Pro Football Focus, Verner has been a top-25 corner in all four seasons he's been in the NFL. Verner was asked to play more man-to-man coverage last season and finished second in the league with 22 passes defensed to go along with five interceptions. There's no doubt that Verner would be a solid signing for the Raiders but it isn't known if McKenzie will be willing to spend that kind of money on a corner. Verner is expected to be asking for a deal worth roughly $10 million per year. Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes signed a four-year, $32 million deal with $16 million guaranteed earlier in the offseason setting the mark for Verner and other free agent corners. Aqib Talib, age 28 - There was early mutual interest for Talib to return to the Patriots but the talks seem to have died off since the beginning of the offseason. The Patriots don't have a ton of cap room currently and that will be a factor with attempting to re-sign Talib. The seven-year veteran is coming off of a one-year deal where he served as the Patriots' best cornerback and recorded 14 passes defensed and four interceptions in 13 games played. Like Verner, Talib will command a large contract as he has already stated he wants to be paid like a "top-of-the-market player". It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Talib gets with Grimes already receiving his aforementioned deal. Sam Shields, age 26 - What would a Raiders free-agency discussion be without the mentioning of a former Packer? Shields and the Packers have been unable to reach terms of a contract and it appears that he will be allowed to test the free-agency market. Shields, now 26, originally signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010 out of the University of Miami. Shields is hitting the market at the right time as he comes off his best NFL season, recording 16 passes defensed and four interceptions in his 14 starts this season. Shields possesses great speed and has continuously gotten better since signing with the Packers for a league-minimum in 2010. It will be interesting to see if McKenzie goes after another former Packer and how much money Shields will look for. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, age 27 - It seems like the Broncos would make Rodgers-Cromartie a priority to re-sign, especially with the departure of Champ Bailey and uncertainty with Chris Harris coming off of an ACL surgery. Rodgers-Cromartie has been able to revitalize his career after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and producing two poor years. Rodgers-Cromartie helped lead the Denver defense that made its way to the Super Bowl as he accounted for three interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 13 games started. Some have questioned Rodgers-Cromartie's dedication to football after he stated he may retire if the Broncos won the Super Bowl, though he has since stated that he was not going to retire. Tarell Brown, age 29 - Brown is an interesting prospect and former Colts GM Bill Polian went as far to say that he is the best cornerback in the free agency class on ESPN. If Polian is right and a team offers him big money like he's the best corner on the market, it seems unlikely that the 49er's will be able to match. Brown has also stated that "nothing" has been going on with discussions between the 49er's and his camp. Brown finished last season without an interception but did have 11 passes defensed in his 13 games played. Brown did however have four interceptions in 2011 and two in 2012 since becoming a starter in 2011. The market for Brown will be one to watch to see if it's a fair price that the Raiders could possibly lure him across the Bay into the Raiders locker room. Captain Munnerlyn, age 25 - I mean, who wouldn't want a guy with the name "Captain Munnerlyn" on his team? But he doesn't just have the cool name, he has the game to back it up. Munnerlyn is coming off his best year and has been named one of the league's top 25 free agents avaialable by USA Today. Munnerlyn is just 5-foot-8 but plays much bigger than his listed height and recorded two interceptions for touchdowns to go along with 12 passes defensed. On top of being a good coverage corner, Munnerlyn is a better-than-average tackler as he only missed three tackles in 932 regular-season snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Munnerlyn may come at a cheaper price due to his height so he's worth keeping an eye on. Vontae Davis, age 25 - It seemed like it would be likely that the Colts and Davis would be able to agree to terms but recent reports are that they are still "far apart" on a new deal. Davis is just 25 years old and has become one of the best young corners in the league due to his coverage skills and his physical play. Davis is coming off of a year in which he finished with just one interception and 12 passes defensed. Though time is running out, it seems likely that the Colts will try and match any offer that Davis may receive as the Colts have the fourth-most cap room coming into the offseason. Jairus Byrd, age 28 - Though the Raiders already have Tyvon Branch, they currently have a hole at the free safety position due to Charles Woodson's impending free agency. Byrd is arguably the best free agent available in this years class and he just so happens to fill one of the Raiders' many holes on defense. The one problem may be just how much Byrd may be asking for and whether or not the Raiders want to invest that much money in the safety position as a whole. The Raiders area already due to pay starting safety Tyvon Branch $7.1 million next year. Byrd is a ball-hawking safety that possesses great coverage skills and would be a great addition to the Raiders defensive backfield. The 28-year-old University of Oregon alum is coming of a 2013 campaign in which he had four interceptions. In his 73 games played since entering the NFL, Byrd has recorded 356 tackles, three sacks and 22 interceptions. Adding Byrd would no doubt give the Raiders an above-average safety tandem but would be a lot of money to invest into the safety positions. Byrd will likely be asking for upwards of $8 million per year, with a hefty guaranteed sum. Malcolm Jenkins, age 26 - Much like listing Shields above, Jenkins must be mentioned for his obvious association to head coach Dennis Allen having worked with the New Orleans Saints previously. Jenkins is just 26 years old and has already logged 71 games (63 starts) in his five seasons in the NFL, while recording 358 tackles, 4.5 sacks and six interceptions. Jenkins was selected 14th overall out of Ohio St. in 2009 and brings versatility much in the same way that Woodson provided it for the Raiders last season. Jenkins would come at a much cheaper price than Byrd (think maybe $3-4 million per year) but doesn't quite bring the same ball-hawking skills. Jenkins is just 26 years old and there's a chance that he can still progress to an even better safety. Allen and Jenkins likely know each other well from Allen's time as the secondary coach when both of their times there overlapped in 2009-2010. It seems likely that Allen will at least want to talk to Jenkins, especially if the team decides against bringing Woodson back. Other free agent defensive backs not mentioned: Javier Arenas, KC; Walter Thurmond, SEA; Charles Tillman, CHI; Chris Cook, MIN; Brandon Browner, SEA; Corey Graham, BAL; Asante Samuel, ATL; Jabari Greer, NO; Louis Delmas, DET; Antoine Bethea, IND; Chris Clemons, MIA;
0 Comments
Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 7, 2014 The Oakland Raiders have many holes they must fill through the draft and free agency with one big glaring hole being a play-making wide receiver. While the Raiders have a solid young wide receiving corps that can continue to grow, they have lacked a true number-one receiver since Randy Moss departed Oakland after the 2006 season. In fact, the Raider have not had a receiver haul in 1,000+ yards since Moss did it in 2005 (1,005 yards). Rod Streater came close to it last season but finished with just 888 receiving yards when the season ended. Whether it's through the draft or through upcoming free agency, the Raiders will look to obtain a play-making wide receiver so we should take a look at what wide receivers are available through free agency. Hakeem Nicks, age 26 - Some of Raider Nation hoped that Al Davis would draft Nicks in the 2009 NFL Draft but instead he selected the speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey, who didn't fulfill the vacancy for a number-one wide receiver. Nicks fell to 29th overall and went to the New York Giants instead, where he saw success despite a couple of off-years the last two seasons. Nicks has two 1,000+ yard seasons under his belt during his five years in the NFL and is just 26 years old. Questions arose last season regarding his motivation and his health due to knee issues but if he is motivated and healthy is possesses the talent to be a number-one wide receiver in the league. Despite having a down year last year with just 56 receptions for 896 yards and no touchdowns (mind you, the Giants offense was a mess all around last year), Nicks still finished with eight more yards than Streater (Raiders leading receiver) and just four receptions less. If Nicks could be motivated by a short-term contract that would allow him to cash in again in a couple of years, he could be a dominant receiver and the number-one receiver the Raiders have missed. Eric Decker, age 26 - Like Nicks, Decker is just 26 years old but is coming off two 1,000+ yard years with future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning throwing the ball to him. Decker seems to have a full understanding of the NFL wide receiver route tree but it isn't yet known whether he is a true number-one wide receiver. Problems sometimes arise with free agent wide receivers coming from dominant offensive systems where the wide receivers turn out to be not as good out of that system. There's no doubt that Decker will be commanding a fairly large contract because of his last two years and the it will be a sellers market for him. Decker has averaged 1,176 receiving yards per season for the last two years to go along with 24 receiving touchdowns over the two-year period. Golden Tate, age 25 - Seattle seems to have re-signing Tate a high priority for this offseason so he may not even be a possibility for the Raiders but his name's worth mentioning. Despite being more of a slot receiver, Tate may be one of the more underrated free agent wide receivers this offseason. Tate has turned himself into one of the best slot receivers in the league to go along with explosive special teams play after a rough start to his career after being drafted in the second round out of Notre Dame. Tate is now a weapon with the ability to take the play to paydirt anytime he touches the ball with exceptional yards-after-catch ability. Tate is coming off of a 64-reception year for 898 yards and five touchdowns. James Jones, age 29 - Jones, a San Jose State alum, will be 30 years old by season's beginning but has quietly produced two solid years in Green Bay. Slowed down by a mid-season PCL sprain last year, Jones appeared in 14 games and finished with 59 receptions for 817 yards and just three touchdowns. Jones started all 16 games in 2012 though and finished with 64 receptions for 784 yards and a league-high 14 touchdowns. To put it into perspective, the entire Raiders team had just 17 touchdown receptions all of last season. Granted Jones has stated that he would like to return to Green Bay, though any former Packer (or soon-to-be) is worth mentioning due to the obvious association with Reggie McKenzie and his history of bringing in former Packers. Jones may come at a cheaper price for the team he may land on. Jones' previous trip through free agency brought him to a three-year deal worth just over $9 million with the Packers, it will be interesting to see how much more teams value him now. Emmanuel Sanders, age 27 - Sanders seems to be one of the more popular free agent wide receiver names to be thrown around this offseason, and for good reasons. At 27 years old, Sanders has already made a career out of attacking the slot and producing yards after the catch. Sanders' solid hands limited him to just two drops last season when playing in 796 offensive snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sanders finished with a career-year last season with 67 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns after signing a one-year deal with the Steelers. It appears that Sanders is best suited in the slot as opposed to outside and it does not seem like he will develop into being a true number-one receiver that the Raiders need. Other free-agent wide receivers not mentioned: Jason Avant, PHI; Kenny Britt, TEN; Julian Edelman, NE; Ted Ginn, CAR; Andre Roberts, ARI; Sidney Rice, SEA; Jacoby Jones, BAL; Mario Manningham, SF; Jerome Simpson, CIN; Brandon LaFell, CAR; Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 6, 2014
As discussed earlier in the week here, the Raiders are in need of a pass rusher and not it just so happens that one of the league's best is looking to test the free agent market. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Seattle last year due to a shoulder injury but looks like he will be cashing in for bigger money this offseason. It appears that Bennett has received an offer from the Seahawks but would like to see what he can get elsewhere before agreeing to any terms, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Seattle DE Michael Bennett will be testing the free agent market and will not be re-signing with the Seahawks before March 11th, per source. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2014 Bennett was one of Seattle's best pass rusher finishing with 8.5 sacks on the season and helping lead a suffocating defense that eventually became Super Bowl champions. The Raiders have struggled to find a pass rush in recent years and adding Bennett would be a huge step in the right direction. Defensive end and fellow free agent Lamarr Houston led the Raiders last year with just 6.0 sacks. No other Raiders defensive lineman had more than 3.0 sacks for the year. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie and the front office can start talking with Bennett on March 8 but can't make any signings official until March 11. It certainly seems likely that McKenzie will be one of the first to reach out to Bennett's agent given the Raiders' lack of pass rushers. Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 5, 2014 The Raiders have long suffered from the lack of having a "franchise quarterback" and will likely look to address this problem in the draft, but that won't stop them from looking at the free agent veteran quarterbacks on the market. Terrelle Pryor was unable to take a hold of the starting quarterback job as he struggled after a hot start. Un-drafted rookie Matt McGloin showed signs of potential but not enough to halt the Raiders' search for a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for the Raiders and other quarterback-hungry teams, this year's free agent group leaves some to desire. With that said, lets take a look at some potential free agent quarterbacks that the Raiders may look at. Josh Freeman, age 26 - Freeman seems like the popular first name mentioned when associating a free agent quarterback with the Raiders, and there seems to be good reason. Freeman, who has been in the NFL for five seasons now, no doubt had his best season in with the Buccaneers under Raiders current offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Freeman finished the 2010 season throwing for over 3,400 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions on 61 percent completion rate with Olson mentoring him. With Freeman's numbers faltering after Olson's departure, head coach Greg Schiano and the front office decided to let him go. Freeman then signed with the Vikings and was inserted as the starter just two weeks later, completing just 20/53 passes against the New York Giants. That was the last chance he would have starting with the Vikings. At just 26 years of age, Freeman probably has the most upside of the options but it has to be alarming that the Bucs worried about work ethic and then the Vikings only gave him once chance to start after paying him $2 million for the remainder of the year. Michael Vick, age 33 - As has been the case for much of his career, Vick remains an interesting prospect for any team that chooses to sign him. Vick showed at the beginning of last year that he still has NFL-starter talent but was unable to stay healthy, a problem that has plagued him for much of his career. Vick has only played all 16 games just once in his career, the 2006 season with the Atlanta Falcons. Vick started just six games last year before Nick Foles stepped in and had the remarkable year he did. Vick finished the year completing just 54.6 percent of his throws with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Though he has shown the ability to still be a starter in the league, it is hard for a team to depend on Vick to remain healthy for a full year with the type of play he provides. Matt Cassel, age 31 - Like Freeman, Cassel is entering free agency after spending last year with the Minnesota Vikings though Cassel chose to opt out of his deal and test free agency. Cassel first became a prominent name when he took over the New England Patriots for Tom Brady who was injured in the first game of the year back in 2008, completing 63.4 percent of the passes for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Cassel then spent the next five seasons starting with the Kansas City Chiefs with his best season coming in 2010 when he threw for over 3,100 yards on 58.2 percent completion with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. In his only season with the Vikings, Cassel appeared in nine games and completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 1,807 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Cassel has often struggled with pressure but would provide a veteran presence to help tutor any drafted quarterback the Raiders may select. Josh McCown, age 34 - McCown enters free agency with one of the most question marks out of the free agent quarterbacks. The 34-year-old quarterback remained rather irrelevant since leaving the Raiders after the 2007 season when he appeared in nine games for the Silver & Black, finishing with 1,151 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Before last year, McCown had appeared in just six games since. But McCown re-emerged last season taking over for the injured Jay Cutler and led a potent Bears offense while he threw for 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception in five starts (eight appearances). It's unknown if McCown will be able to replicate last year's success if he departs Chicago and Marc Trestman, but he also brings 12 years of NFL experience to whatever team he may join. Other free agent quarterbacks not mentioned: Chad Henne, JAX; Tarvaris Jackson, SEA; Shaun Hill, DET; Kellen Clemons, STL; Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 4, 2014
The Raiders tendered five players on Tuesday, according to USA Today NFL writer Tom Pelissero. #Raiders tendered OL Matt McCants ($495K), LB Kaelin Burnett, RB Jamize Olawale, CB Brandian Ross and RB Jeremy Stewart ($570K each). — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 4, 2014 McCants was signed last offseason to be a reserve tackle but ended up seeing starting time due to the amount of injuries the Raiders suffered on the offensive line. McCants, who is just 25 years old, proved to be quite valuable as he was more than serviceable at the right tackle position. Burnett brings a solid special teams player to the team while Olawale brings a serviceable fullback to the line should Marcel Reece go down to injury. Ross found himself starting at strong safety last season after starting safety Tyvon Branch was injured early and backup Usama Young also became injured. McKenzie has liked Ross, the former Packer, though it seems his play may be better fit at the free safety position. Stewart, a former Stanford Cardinal, has been on the team for two seasons now and has seen time with injuries to Darren McFadden. Re-signing Stewart adds depth at the running back position which the team currently lacks because of Rashad Jennings and McFadden's free agency status. Originally published on Silver & Black Report on March 3, 2014
Just as the Oakland Raiders did last year, the front office has elected not to use any of their franchise tags as they let Monday's 1:00 p.m. PST deadline come and go. The Raiders had the opportunity to place one of three tags on a player, as explained here previously. The most likely candidates for the tags was defensive end Lamarr Houston and starting left tackle Jared Veldheer. Houston would have been given a one-year contract worth $13.116 million fully guaranteed, while Veldheer would have earned $11.654 million if either had been franchise tagged. With neither players receiving the tags, the team must now try to agree to a long-term contract with them in order to retain their services. The team will have to find the solution quickly with free agency rapidly approaching as players can start talking to teams on March 8 and start signing new contracts March 11. The front office must have a sense of urgency now as they won't want to see Houston or Veldheer sign with another team. |
Archives
May 2014
Categories
All
|