Raiders Offseason To-Do List Part 1: Free Agency
This is probably one of the most important off-season’s for the Oakland Raiders in the last 10 years. The Raiders have a lack of draft picks and cap-space working against them in their efforts to turn into a contending team. The Raider’s cap-space situation in my opinion, is overblown. If you have a smart guy at the helm (Reggie McKenzie) it is relatively easy to maneuver the cap. With the release of Stanford Routt, the Raiders have saved some money, I would expect a couple more cuts and restructurings (Richard Seymour). It’s early in the off-season and we are still unsure of some things going on, but in this article I am assuming the Raiders are moving to a 3-4 defense with the hiring of Terrell Williams as D-Line coach and Jason Tarver as D-Coordinator (Tarver ran 3-4 at Stanford, Williams coached a 3-4 D-line at Texas A&M). With the hiring of Greg Knapp as offensive coordinator we will be running a Run-Heavy West Coast Offense. *Note In this article I am going with a mix of what I think will happen, and what should happen.
Trade Matt Shaugnessy to the Cleveland Browns for the 100th pick (4th Round) and 132nd pick (5th Round) of the 2012 Draft:
With the switch to a 3-4 defense there is no place for Matt Shaugnessy; he is too small to play the 3-technique, and not explosive/fast enough to stand up and play rush linebacker. Matt Shaugnessy is a good complimentary pass-rusher in a 4-3 defense, but he is coming off a torn ACL and doesn’t have the skill-set to play in the 3-4. The Browns need a complimentary pass-rusher opposite Jabaal Sheard. The Browns should take a chance on this low risk/high reward trade.
Trade Tommy Kelly to the Dallas Cowboys for the 82nd pick (3rd Round) in 2012 and Dallas’s 4th round pick in 2013:
With the Presumable switch to a 3-4 base defense, the Raiders will have an excess of 3-4 defensive ends; Tommy Kelly, Richard Seymour, Lamarr Houston, Desmond Bryant (Restricted Free Agent). Tommy Kelly has a huge contract, but in a archaic defense last year he was able to tally 7.5 sacks. And with a team like Dallas which is desperate for D-line help, I think they would be willing to absorb his cap number. Tommy Kelly is very productive, but I think it would be best to let Lamarr Houston take over at 3-4 DE. In a dream world I would trade Seymour and let Kelly and Houston play 3-technique, but it will be impossible to trade Seymour with his cap number and his age. This trade benefits the Raiders in three ways; It will add some drafts picks, allows Lamarr Houston to play in a system that fits his skill-set better, and saves the Raiders 1.5 million dollars this year and about 7.8 over the next three years.
Cut Free Safety/Cornerback Mike Huff:
Michael Huff is an above-average free safety, and a average Cornerback. The thing is, an above average Safety/Corner is not worth between 6.5-8 million per year. Depending on when his signing bonus kicks in, the raiders can save between 2.2 and 4 million dollars this year if they cut him, and 4 million for the next two years. Michael Huff is a good player, but we can get a starting safety for half his price.
Let free agent Safety Tyvon Branch and Running Back Michael Bush walk:
All of Tyvon Branch’s tackle numbers over the last 3 years have been overblown by the Raider Nation faithful. For a safety he has mediocre coverage skills, getting abused by quarterbacks frequently. He doesn’t force fumbles or make plays in the box like the Cardinals Adrian Wilson does either. Based on market overvalue we will most likely have to give him a deal similar to Mike Huff’s to keep him, not worth it for a mediocre safety. Michael Bush is a good back, but we already have Darren McFadden. It’s time to move on from Bush, we can find a cheap power back in free agency, I.E. Cedric Benson
Cut Aaron Curry or restructure his contract:
Aaron Curry is great run-stopping linebacker, but is mediocre in the coverage and pass rushing departments. Fellow linebacker Rolando McClain is also horrible in coverage, and in a 3-4 if both of your Inside Linebackers are poor in coverage you can’t be successful, that’s a fact. I would like to keep Curry if he is willing to be a backup and restructure his contract (a backup linebacker is not worth $5mil per year), if not we should cut him. I like Aaron Curry more than Rolando McClain, but I think the new regime will give Rolando one more year to prove himself, which if Curry is not willing to be a backup, it really leaves no place for him.
Sign Cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Rashean Mathis:
With the recent release of corner Stanford Routt, that means the Raiders have a need for a #1 and #2 corner. Tracy Porter has rapport with new head coach Dennis Allen when he was the DB’s coach with the Saints. Tracy Porter is an above-average cornerback who is proficient in zone and also has the ability line up in man , but has looked bad the last two years because of the Saints lack of pass-rush. We can most likely pick him up with a 5yr/$20mil contract, which is a bargain for a starting cornerback. Rashean Mathis was on his way back to being an elite corner last year before tearing his ACL. With teams skeptical of his health we can pick him up with an incentives-laden one or two year “Prove-Me” deal. If he plays good we got a bargain, if he plays poorly we can release him with little to no cap penalty.
Sign Strong/Free Safety Reggie Nelson:
With the departure of Mike Huff and Tyvon Branch the Raiders have a need at safety. Reggie Nelson is very similar to Tyvon Branch, but will be much cheaper to sign. He has his ups and his downs, but overall Reggie Nelson is a starting safety in the NFL. It is also a bonus that Reggie Nelson has the versatility to play both free safety and strong safety. We can most likely pick him up for a contract in the 3yr/$9mil range.
Sign linebackers Jarrett Johnson and David Hawthorne:
With the switch to the 3-4 defense there will be a need for a left inside linebacker and left outside linebacker. Jarrett is coming off a solid season with the Ravens, he is not a great pass-rusher but he is great at setting the edge in the run game, and he is solid in coverage. He is a veteran on the tail end of his career, but I think he can come in for a good price and hold down the LOLB spot while a rookie sits behind for a year. David Hawthorne is a good linebacker that has the perfect skill-set to compliment Rolando McClain at the inside linebacker spot. The Inside/Middle linebacker class this year is somewhat loaded, and David Hawthorne will slip under-the-radar, and could be got for a contract in the 4yrs/$18mil range.
Sign Nose Tackle Aubrayo Franklin:
With Richard Seymour and Lamarr Houston playing the end spots in our new 3-4 defense we have two great pieces, but lack the the cornerstone of a successful 3-4 defense; a good nose tackle. Enter Aubrayo Franklin, a free agent nose/defensive tackle coming off a year with the Saints. Franklin fell off quite a bit this year compared to his days as a 49er. The difference between his stint in San Francisco and his time in New Orleans is; in San Francisco he played in a 3-4 defense, and in New Orleans he played Defensive Tackle in a 4-3. Aubrayo is best when he has a two-gap responsibility and his main focus is getting penetration in the run-game. In New Orleans he had a one-gap read and after that he was supposed to cut loose on the Quarterback, which really isn’t his strong-suit. If he comes to Oakland he can get back to what he does best; being a run-stuffer. He fills a need and I think he can come for a deal in the 2yrs/$6mil range, and if Reggie McKenzie is skeptical after Aubrayo’s sub-par year in NO, we can make it a incentives based contract.
Part 2: Draft, coming March 2nd (Friday after Combine)
Tags: Free Agency, NFL Draft
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