Shaun Rogers should be priority one

A couple of hours ago a rumor broke that the Detroit Lions will be trading or releasing defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.  This might be the Oakland Raiders best chance to fill a major need, because there doesn’t look like there’s going to be any other starters at that position available during this off-season.  Picking up a struggling, but young, Pro Bowl DT would be a huge acquisition.  Rogers is the perfect fit for the Raiders 4-3 defensive scheme, and though he’s had some character issues, I don’t think it’s anything a change in scenery and a payday can’t fix.

Rogers would be up for grabs on the free-agent market, and frankly I don’t think the Raiders would be his first choice, but if the Lions agree in preliminary to a trade, then the Raiders would get a chance to talk to Rogers, and see if they can convince him.  The only way this trade works is if it entails exchanging 1st round picks.  Rogers is exactly the kind of player the Raiders need, and unfortunately the only draft picks that would be worth passing up on Rogers for (Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey) will be gone before the Raiders current 3rd or 4th overall pick (coin flip with Falcons at combine in 3 weeks to decide order).

The Lions don’t have to get anything out of the loss of Rogers, but the Raiders can change that by offering to exchange picks with them.  The Lions would get a top 5 prospect, and the Raiders would spend the money they would’ve spent on their original selection on Rogers.  The Raiders still need to focus on youth for the future, so the Lions 15th overall selection that the Raiders would receive could still give them a player who’ll make an immediate impact without costing them so much.