Raiders still lacking at key defensive spots. Is free agency, or draft, where to look?
It is closing in on two full weeks since the NFL free agency period opened and the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t addressed one of their biggest areas of need: The defensive backfield.
Offseason speculation has centered around whether the Raiders will sign a free agent cornerback and a safety. Or maybe just add to one of those spots.
The Raiders have signed running back Kenyan Drake; center Nick Martin; wide receivers John Brown and Willie Snead; and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The team also brought back linebacker Nicholas Morrow, guard Richie Incognito and guard/tackle Denzelle Good.
Las Vegas then picked up defensive linemen Matt Dickerson, Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas and Darius Philon.
Adding pieces to the defensive line should be a good thing since that was one of the weak spots last season, with the Raiders ranking 24th in run defense at 125.8 yards per game.
But the secondary has some holes, too, and there are notable free agents still available, even after one came off the board Thursday.
Cornerback Malcolm Butler signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. One less from which the Raiders can choose.
But is there any need for urgency, as players like Butler are gobbled up?
“I think there are going to be more veterans out there on the market and I think it’s incumbent upon us to be patient,” Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said on a Zoom call ahead of free agency. “Would we take a shot at a high-level player or two? Sure, if we believed in the person and had the money available.”
It would have seemed a no-brainer that the Raiders would have targeted a defensive back last week; the pass defense ranked 25th, giving up 263.3 yards per game in 2020. But it appears Mayock is content if he has to play the long game.
Of course, the Raiders could wait beyond free agency and look to the NFL draft, which starts April 29. Las Vegas will have eight picks.
Who is available?
So who are some of the better players that still can be had?
Cornerbacks include ex-Seahawks and 49ers star Richard Sherman, along with Casey Hayward, Steven Nelson (College of the Sequoias/Oregon State), Bashaud Breeland, Quinton Dunbar and Brian Poole. The Raiders recently hosted A.J. Bouye.
Available safeties include Malik Hooker, Duron Harmon, Tre Boston and Tashaun Gipson. Xavier Woods agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.
The Raiders need to swoop in and sign one of those players so Raider Nation can put its collective mind at ease.
Las Vegas’ current cornerback corps consists of Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette, Isaiah Johnson, Amik Robertson and Keisean Nixon.
The safeties are led by Johnathan Abram, Jeff Heath and Dallin Leavitt, hardly enough depth to carry into the 2021 season.
Expect the Raiders also to look for a cornerback and safety at some point in the draft. But bringing in a veteran at one or both positions could do wonders for an otherwise mostly young group.
Signing someone such as Sherman — a five-time Pro Bowler who turns 33 at the end of March but still seems to have some skills —would immediately bring leadership on the field and in the locker room.
It is up to the Raiders to make that happen.
This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
