Oakland Raiders: Ranking the remaining safety options
By Austin Gayle
Ranking the Oakland Raiders remaining free agency options at the safety position.
The Oakland Raiders filled holes in their roster with several talented, youthful players early in free agency, and though they have been considered as one of the few winners in free agency, the Silver and Black still have a glaring need at the safety position.
With future Hall of Fame safety Charles Woodson announcing his retirement in December 2015, the Raiders’ already talent-deficient secondary will be without their best coverage safety. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Woodson earned the top coverage grade out of all NFL safeties in 2015.
Oakland also failed to replace Woodson with PFF’s second-best coverage safety, as former San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle opted to sign with the Baltimore Ravens despite what was believed to be mutual interest. Weddle signed a four-year, $26 million deal with the Ravens March 14.
Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie did make an effort to release and then resign safety Nate Allen to a one-year, $3 million prove-it deal in order to create cap space, but given his injury history and overall lack of production when he was on the field, Allen isn’t much of a solution. In five games, Allen accumulated just 11 combined tackles and two passes defensed, via ESPN.com.
Former Baltimore Ravens safety Brynden Trawick has also been added to the Raiders roster this offseason, but he will likely be limited to just a special teams role due to his track record with Baltimore. According to Mark Inabinett of AL.com, Trawick was participated in 87 defensive plays and 394 special-teams plays in 2015.
Allen, cornerback/safety Travis Carrie, and Larry Asante are projected to lead Oakland’s current group of safeties in snaps played. Though Carrie has flashed at times and Allen still has the potential to play well when healthy, neither of the two has proven they can be consistent, quality starters at the position. Given the lack of depth, second-year guys like Tevin McDonald, Dexter McDonald, and Chris Hackett will likely take part in an open competition for Oakland’s primary depth players behind Carrie and Allen if McKenzie doesn’t bring in help at the position.
Here are the top remaining free agent safeties that Oakland should target before they look to address the need in April’s draft.