Raiders Sign Drew Carter
By zbest
Yesterday the Oakland Raiders met with Drew Carter in Alameda and it looks like after over 24hours, Carter will soon be a Raider. No financial terms yet available, but the contract is reported to be for 1-year. This still leaves the Raiders in good shape to take a wideout on Day-1 of the NFL Draft that can take Carter’s place in 2009. This also puts a lot of pressure on Carter to play well so that he can cash in on next year’s estimated $125 million dollar NFL salary cap. No matter how it pans out it’s one of the Raiders safest signings they’ve made this off-season.
I really think he will be a great addition, and should cost the Raiders a lot less than Bernard Berrian or Donte Stallowrth would have. By now everyone knows Carter’s history (6’3″ 200lbs, 4.40 40, all the athletic ability, little production), but now with “[Javon] Walker (6-3, 215), [Ronald] Curry (6-2, 210) and Carter (6-3, 210), Oakland has given rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell a trio of phyiscally impressive wide receivers. Best case, it means the potential for a lot of big plays.” –Jerry McDonald, Inside Bay Area
Carter has all the talent in the world, but has failed to put it all together. Carter had injury problems at Ohio State that kept him from ever playing at a high level, which dropped his draft stock from 1st round talent, to 5th round selection. The 4-year veteran did not play during his rookie year, and only entered 3 games during his 2nd. Jake Delholmne has been injured for the better part of the last 2 seasons, and with him gone, so went most of their consistency on offense. So there’s still a lot I need to see from Carter before I start doubting him.
Whether it’s the injury concerns that come with DJ Hackett, or the inconsistencies that come with Drew Carter, the Raiders need to take the chance this off-season. Carter and Hackett want a team to take a chance on them, but like the Raiders, they might have to take a chance on a team that’s struggled lately in order to get the playing time they’re looking for. I said this last week and I’m going to say it again, as long as the talent level is high, I have no problem with any acquisition the Raiders make; the more competition the better.
Raider free-agent update:
There is nothing to report yet on Quinn Gray, but I after over a day of discussion I’m starting to think he might not get signed (if nothing changes tonight). The St. Petersburg Times reported this morning that defensive end Kevin Carter (who I think’s would be great depth against the run behind Derrick Burgess) was scheduled to visit with the Raiders today (Wednesday).