While there were significant improvements in several areas – mostly thanks to a top-notch rookie class in 2019 – the Raiders have lots of needs.
Two weeks into the offseason, the Raiders have likely set their sights on potential free-agent targets. The Silver and Black have an attractive destination in Nevada – a no-tax state, a brand new stadium set to open its gates in 2020, and a team that went from 4-12 to 7-9.
Unfortunately, a late-season collapse prevented the Jon Gruden’s Raiders from securing an improbable playoff berth, though, we can see the progress from Year 1 to 2 under the bigger-than-life coach.
Now, the team brass must continue to build a contender through acquisitions. Like most teams, the Raiders have several holes to fill going into the offseason.
We’re almost two months away from the official start of NFL free agency (March 18th). Clubs have re-signed some impending free agents. Oakland extended offensive guard Denzelle Good’s contract for one year.
Looking outside the Raiders roster, where could they find veteran help?
Let’s go through the team’s needs in priority order with a top target and alternative option for each position, starting with the biggest void.
Linebacker
At this point, it seems the Raiders have comically neglected the need for a coverage linebacker for over a decade. Players have come and gone with short-term success at the position like Perry Riley and NaVorro Bowman. Vontaze Burfict was a solid acquisition before the league suspended him.
With that said, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther must update his perspective on the ideal linebacker to counter spread offenses—going away from the two-down thumper toward the agile defender who’s equipped to cover running backs and tight ends in space.
Top Target (s): Cory Littleton/Joe Schobert
Cory Littleton stands out as a personal favorite. He’s the definition of a modern-day linebacker capable of covering in space and supplementing the run defense. The 26-year-old is also an effective blitzer, logging 7.5 sacks over the last two seasons. Most Raiders beat writers and reporters listed him as a target, so we’ll look at a 1B option to provide variety.
Joe Schobert possesses similar linebacker traits to Littleton. He checks three important boxes for today’s linebacker: shows solid intermediate coverage skills, frees himself to make run stops and displays enough quickness to bring down the quarterback when tasked to do so. In 2019, the fourth-year veteran reached season highs in interceptions (four) and pass breakups (nine).
Littleton and Schobert should rank atop the free-agent list to address the Raiders’ non-versatile linebacker group.
Alternative Option: De’Vondre Campbell
Typically, when we talk about the Atlanta Falcons linebacker corps, Deion Jones comes to mind first and rightfully so. However, don’t overlook De’Vondre Campbell, who can line up at inside or outside linebacker as he’s done with his current team in recent years.
Beyond Campbell’s position versatility, he’s productive in those spots. The 6’4″, 232-pound linebacker led the Falcons in total (129) and solo tackles (75) for the 2019 campaign. He can sift through blocks to take down ball-carriers with sound tackling. Campbell also poses a threat to knock down passes in the shallow zones because of his height. The 26-year-old has 16 pass breakups in four seasons.
While many Raiders fans pay close attention to Littleton and Schobert, Campbell may be a less costly but effective option and an upgrade over Tahir Whitehead.
Wide Receivers
In terms of No. 1 wide receiver targets, the Raiders would be better off addressing that specific need in April. The 2020 draft pool features more than a handful of wideouts who could come off the board in the first round. With pick Nos. 12 or 19, the Silver and Black can find its lead playmaker in the passing attack.
Nonetheless, general manager Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden should add depth at this position during free agency, but they need to stay away from mid-tier players seeking lucrative deals that compare to the top talents. Why pay top dollar for a wideout unless he’s a potential No. 1 option?
According to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, Robby Anderson wants more than $10 annually, which would put him in the top 20 in yearly salaries among wide receivers, per Spotrac. He’s a solid No. 2, who’s averaged 49.3 receiving yards per game with a 54.2 percent catch rate in four seasons. At his reported asking price—no thanks. The Raiders could see comparable returns from a rookie at a much cheaper cost.
Top Target: A.J. Green
A.J. Green didn’t play a snap during the 2019 season because of his long recovery from ankle surgery. Keep in mind, he experienced a setback in a push to return in November.
Nonetheless, the Raiders should pounce on Green if the Cincinnati Bengals move forward in their rebuild without him. When healthy, the seven-time Pro Bowler could serve as the No. 1 option in a passing attack. He’s going into his age-32 term, so a three-year deal with a second- or third-year out sounds ideal for an eighth-year veteran.
Assuming quarterback Derek Carr remains under center, he should click with Green right away.
Throughout Carr’s career, he’s played well with possession or big-bodied pass-catchers as his lead target. You can go down a list of players, just think about Davante Adams at Fresno State, Michael Crabtree between the 2015 and 2017 terms, Jared Cook during the 2018 campaign and Darren Waller this past season.
Alternative Option: Rashard Higgins
Rashard Higgins isn’t someone who’s talked about in casual NFL circles, but we need to put more respect on his name. He left Colorado State as the school’s leader in catches (238), receiving yards (3,648) and touchdowns (31).
If given the chance, Higgins has the ability to win one-on-one matchups with strong hands, snatching down contested passes. He improved every year through his first three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, logging season highs in receptions (39), yards (572) and touchdowns (four) during the 2018 term.
Unfortunately for Higgins, once Odell Beckham Jr. arrived in Cleveland last offseason, the talented wideout dropped in the pass-catching pecking order. For most of the 2019 campaign, he was the fourth option behind Beckham, Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway (before he was waived). With more opportunities, Higgins can produce in a decent role.
Defensive Back
At the end of last season, Guenther spoke on the possibility of Lamarcus Joyner moving to safety, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
“We’ve really, the first year, just tried to concentrate him on (playing nickel),” Guenther said. “And then maybe next year once he kind of gets that, we’ll move him back here to safety as a chess piece.”
Whether Joyner moves to safety or not, the Raiders have to add a veteran defensive back—either to replace him in the slot or to strengthen deep coverage on the back end. Remember, even though Johnathan Abram will return in 2020, he was known as a thumper at Mississippi State with average cover skills.
This season, only Erik Harris logged multiple interceptions (three) for the defense. He’s a decent starter, but the Raiders can look for an upgrade or a third solid safety to compensate for potential injuries.
Top Target: Damarious Randall
Over the last two years, Guenther has turned one of his defensive backs into a versatile defender who can play in the slot, closer to the box and deep at safety. In 2018, Marcus Gilchrist filled that role. This past season, Daryl Worley slowly took on those responsibilities.
The Raiders could re-sign Worley to serve as Guenther’s secondary chess piece, but they should look for a defensive back with a proven resume as a multi-position moonlighter.
Damarious Randall has put together productive seasons as a boundary cornerback, slot defender and safety. Here’s a snap-production breakdown of his first four seasons before a lackluster 2019 campaign with the Browns, per Pro Football Focus. He played his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the last two in Cleveland.
| Snaps/Year and Production | 2015 – Packers (14 PBUs / 3 INTs | 2016 – Packers (9 PBUs / 3 INTs | 2017 – Packers (9 PBUs / 4 INTs | 2018 – Browns (9 PBUs / 4 INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide Corner Snaps | 777 | 580 | 377 | 91 |
| Slot Corner Snaps | 42 | 61 | 246 | 50 |
| Box (Safety) Snaps | 45 | 47 | 58 | 83 |
| Free Safety Snaps | 6 | 2 | 16 | 849 |
Table Note: PBUs are abbreviated for pass breakups, and INTs are abbreviated for interceptions.
Unlike Joyner, Randall’s production remained consistent whether he lined up outside at cornerback, in the slot or at safety. More importantly, the 27-year-old isn’t just exploring position versatility as a new venture like Worley.
Alternative Option: Mike Hilton
The Raiders should move Joyner to safety. In that scenario, the defense would need a slot cornerback. Although the team has high hopes for Isaiah Johnson and Keisean Nixon next year, both are unknowns. Neither played more than 38 defensive snaps during the 2019 season. The former is a raw talent at cornerback, who’s only played the position for two terms at Houston on the collegiate level.
Mike Hilton would immediately patch up the Raiders’ need at slot cornerback. He’s excelled at the position for three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, logging 25 pass breakups, four interceptions and 6.5 sacks.
Oakland would need to send Hilton an offer sheet because he’s a restricted free agent. If team brass proposes a decent number, the Steelers, who see impending free-agent edge-rusher Bud Dupree as a priority, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, may let their slot cornerback go. Cameron Sutton, Pittsburgh’s 2017 third-rounder, handled a decent amount of snaps (107) in the slot this past season, per Pro Football Focus.
Edge-Rusher
Defensive line coach Brentson Buckner strengthened the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush during the 2018 campaign, doing his part to boost their sack numbers from 22 to 38 in one season. He helped the Raiders in the same aspect. Oakland went from 13 to 32 sacks over the last two years.
Buckner also deserves credit for rookie fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby‘s rapid development (10 sacks), and Benson Mayowa’s standout 2019 season with a career-high seven sacks.
Nonetheless, the Raiders still have work to do in the pass-rushing department. The defense ranked 29th in quarterback pressures (117) in 2019. With Arden Key listed as the third defensive end behind Clelin Ferrell and Crosby, the unit is one proven edge-rusher away from a big leap in pocket pressure production.
Top Target: Mario Addison
Most fans would rank Yannick Ngakoue or Dante Fowler Jr. atop the list of free-agent targets at this position, but realistically speaking, it doesn’t seem like Mayock and Gruden would spend north of $20 million annually for either player. Also, Ngakoue is most likely going to be franchised tagged in Jacksonville too.
Ngakoue is arguably the top defensive end set to hit the open market. Fowler is coming off his best season with 11.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. As Crosby and Ferrell grow in prominent roles, it would be shocking to see the Raiders pay big money for a pass-rusher and drop one of their rookies at the position to a situational role.
We don’t hear Mario Addison’s name often because he’s a late-bloomer. For his first five seasons, he served as a backup, providing low to moderate sack numbers.
In 2017, Addison became a full-time starting defensive end, but he vastly improved his pass-rushing production in the year prior. Since 2016, the 32-year-old has logged 39 sacks, which ranks 10th among all defenders—one spot above Ngakoue with 37.5.
Alternative Option: Jason Pierre-Paul
Jason Pierre-Paul has a connection to Buckner. In 2018, with the Buccaneers, the two worked together. The All-Pro defensive end had one of his best seasons that year, logging 12.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
As Pierre-Paul’s contract expires, he can reunite with Bucker for another run in Las Vegas.
Despite losing one finger and half of another in a fireworks incident and suffering a neck injury in a car accident last offseason, Pierre-Paul recorded 8.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 10 contests for the 2019 campaign. The 31-year-old is a relentless pass-rusher and one of the toughest players in the league.
Running Back
Barring extensions, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will hit the free-agent market, leaving the backfield without a viable backup to Josh Jacobs. Gruden absolutely needs two or three tailbacks for his ground attacks. He’ll wear out one ball-carrier alone.
In three of his last four seasons as a head coach and play-caller, Gruden’s offenses have ranked 11th in rushing attempts versus one year with a pass-heavy group (sixth in attempts). While many look at him as a quarterback guru, he clearly prefers to pound the football.
Since Week 7 of this past season, Jacobs played through a fractured shoulder. He needs someone to spell him in the rushing offense to lighten his load going forward. The Raiders can re-sign Isaiah Crowell, who suffered a torn Achilles before the 2019 season started, or pursue a player not coming off a serious injury.
Top Target: Kenyan Drake
Once Kenyan Drake arrived in Arizona, he seemed free of the shackles placed on him in the Miami Dolphins backfield. He registered three 110-plus yard rushing performances and finished with a season-high 817 yards on the ground, overtaking All-Pro running back David Johnson as the Cardinals’ top ball-carrier.
At 6’1″, 211 pounds, Drake can handle short-yardage situations, but he’s also effective in the open field as a receiver. The 25-year-old has consecutive 50-catch campaigns going into the 2020 offseason. He’s accustomed to providing efficiency while sharing his workload, which would be ideal alongside Jacobs.
Alternative Option: Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard would provide more physicality to the Raiders’ running back group. He’s a bruising tailback, who can make one cut and go upfield with power behind his pads.
Howard didn’t fare well in Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy’s system, running out of the shotgun. He split his workload with rookie second-rounder Miles Sanders in Philadelphia for the 2019 term. So, his numbers over his last two years don’t look impressive.
Yet, under former Bears head coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, Howard excelled in an offense built to run the football between the tackles. As a fifth-rounder out of Indiana, he eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards in consecutive seasons as a grinder on the ground.
In Gruden’s system, Howard could find his way back to highly productive years as a downhill north-sound ball-carrier.
Las Vegas Raiders an Attractive Free-Agent Destination
Typically, fanbases want their teams to pursue the biggest names available on the free-agent market. We often overlook salary costs, what the team may be willing to spend and a veteran’s preferences.
Still, as mentioned, the Raiders have an attractive destination in Las Vegas. There’s a brand-new feel to the organization. More importantly, despite a disappointing end to the 2019 campaign, the team made clear strides. With a promising 2019 rookie class, a solid batch of veteran acquisitions should push this squad closer to the contender’s category in 2020.