Report: Malcolm Smith, Mychal Rivera, Matt McGloin Expected to Leave

The Oakland Raiders are expected to let three of their free agents — Smith, McGloin and Rivera — leave, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.

This isn’t surprising news, but the Oakland Raiders are expected to let LB Malcolm Smith, TE Mychal Rivera and backup QB Matt McGloin leave via free agency.

Malcolm has led the team in tackles two years running, but the box score doesn’t tell the entire story.

The Raiders have been plagued by poor run defense over that time, especially in the trenches. Simply by sheer volume of players reaching the second level, Malcolm has often been the box score beneficiary.

Smith’s downfall in Oakland has ultimately been the fact that he is a complete liability in coverage. Oakland’s inability to cover tight ends is well-documented, and Malcolm is at the forefront of those issues.

In regard to Matt McGloin, it’s a no-brainer to let him go. He was a serviceable backup and a spot starter for a short time, but his tenure in Oakland ends in disaster. His performance stepping in for Derek Carr at the end of the season was among the worst QB play this team has seen — and that’s saying something.

Connor Cook was drafted as the heir apparent to the backup job, and it will likely be his job to lose. He made a few nice throws here and there, but struggled with turnovers and accuracy. To be fair to Cook, he was thrown into the fire. Perhaps with some more time, he can develop into a reliable backup.

If Rivera does leave, that may come as a surprise to some. He’s carved out a decent career thus far, and has been a quality pass-catcher during his time as a Raider. But Reggie McKenzie clearly loves Gabe Holmes, having stashed him for two seasons now.

If Holmes is healthy, expect him to be the third tight end.

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Caplan added a final note on Latavius Murray.

If the price isn’t outrageous, the team surely would bring him back. But it’s hard to see him not landing a big deal in free agency.