Early in the offseason it seemed unlikely the Raiders would retain the services of Huff. There was plenty of speculation that Huff would have an NFL homecoming by reuniting with Rob Ryan in Dallas. Clearly there either wasn’t enough money to be found in the Huff market or just not enough suitors.

ESPN reports the Raiders re-signing of Huff whose financial figures have yet to be released.
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There has been plenty of talk during this extended off-season about the Raiders making the move to a 3-4. Unless they draft wisely or by some miracle actually get to sign free agents, then that seems highly unlikely given the current personnel. Sure, plenty of the recent additions have been of the OLB/DE hybrid variety. But given the amount of money invested in the defensive line and the fact that there just isn’t the depth at linebacker, it would seem a move to be made at a later time.

The linebacking core wasn’t exactly a strength last year though there were plenty of key contributions throughout the season.

Kamerion Wimbley arrived in the East Bay as a Cleveland castoff. He emerged as a pass rushing dynamo with a $10-million franchise tag. Wimbley’s presence helped revitalize a defense that had been without a consistent pass rusher since the decline and subsequent departure of Derrick Burgess.

If the Raiders have any designs on making the move to a 3-4 then they’re going to need more guys like Wimbley who are as comfortable standing as they are getting down into a three-point stance. Wimbley might not be one of the better assets against the run but that’s where Rolando McClain comes in.
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As the Raiders were racing against the clock to secure key free agents before the lockout, Huff was left out. Now the safety has designs on returning to his native Texas to play for the Cowboys.

All signs indicate Huff could be a great fit for Jerry’s Boys. Huff is from Texas, went to school in Austin and for good measure his original NFL defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, will be on the sidelines for the Cowboys.

At the University of Texas’ pro day last week Huff made his case to be a Cowboy with Charen Williams of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

“That’s home, but you never know what’s going to happen. I’ve got to want to go there, but they’ve got to want me. There are a bunch of things that go into the process.”

But beyond his desire to return home, Huff wants to win more than anything else.

“That’s the only thing. Being here [at Texas], you get spoiled. You win all the time here and then you go there and have some tough years. Getting that Super Bowl ring is something they can never take away from you, like they can’t take away the national championship ring. That’s the next step, and I look forward to it.”

Now I’m not going to get into a debate as to who has a better shot at winning a Super Bowl in the near future. The last thing we need right about now is an asinine argument between Raider and Cowboy fans amid a lockout. But I will say this much. Huff would be a perfect fit for the Cowboys.
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