Oakland Raiders Free Agent Acquisitions By the Numbers

Apr 23, 2013; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie speaks at press conference at the Raiders team headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Analysis

The Raiders weren’t able to land the big, high profile players they wanted to. (I’ll go into more depth on that in a different article) I do believe they were able to grab quality upgrades on both sides of the ball, landing two top tier, though not high profile, players in Williams and Hudson. Most importantly, most of these players are coming off of rookie contracts, in their mid 20s, and have plenty of football left in them. These are free agents, but they can also be long term building blocks for the Raiders.

So what did the Raiders earn?

First: The linebacking corp should not only be respected, it should be feared by opposing teams.

Second: No one is going to run up the middle on the Raiders, they now have one of the best, well rounded group of Defensive Tackles in the league. With the addition of another edge rusher from the draft, trade, or possibly even free agency (Greg Hardy?), the Raiders Defensive Line as a whole should be considered at least a top 10 D-Line.

Third: The run game should improve dramatically. Two young, talented running backs, greatly improved blocking up the middle, and at Tight End; the pieces are in place for the Raiders to own the line of scrimmage offensively.

Fourth: Derek Carr didn’t gain a new offensive weapon, but he should have much more valuable time in the pocket this season. With the return of Streater next year, the inevitable addition of a Wide Receiver in the Draft, and Helu’s efficiency in the pass game, Derek should end up with some solid options by the time the season starts.

Free Agency may not have been as flashy as many hoped, or expected, but the future looks much brighter for the Oakland Raiders.