Oakland Raiders Unrestricted Free Agents: Stay or Go
By Maliik Obee
Menelik Watson
Stay.
When Mike Tice and the Raiders moved Menelik Watson from right to left tackle in the Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans, to put it simply, he was abused.
Fortunately, Oakland won’t need him to play left tackle next year, so he can stay where he is comfortable. With potential studs available in both free agency and the draft, there is no guarantee Watson will be the starting right tackle season. But if he is called upon, Raider Nation should take solace in that fact that he is at least is serviceable.
When not injured, Watson can perform, receiving a 69.1 rating from Pro Football Focus on the year. While that’s not great, it’s acceptable, considering starter Austin Howard was terrible.
The best thing about Watson is his price tag, making just over $1.5 million in 2016. Considering the concerns surrounding his ability to stay healthy, he shouldn’t be expensive for Reggie McKenzie to re-sign.