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Oakland Raiders: Top 3 Free Agent Losses So Far

By Mario Tovar

Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee (92) reacts after making a tackle against the San Diego Chargers in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee (92) reacts after making a tackle against the San Diego Chargers in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oakland Raiders have lost seven players so far via free agency. Here are the three that they will miss the most.

The Oakland Raiders got off to a slow start in free agency, losing seven of their own free agents before making their first official move the new league year. The seven now-former Raiders are Malcolm Smith, D.J. Hayden, Stacy McGee, Menelik Watson, Nate Allen, Brynden Trawick and Daren Bates.

Of that group, here are the three that the Raiders will miss the most.

Stacy McGee

Defensive linemen Stacy McGee will be sorely missed for many reasons, and among them is his versatility on the line. McGee primarily on the inside, but he’s proven he can make an impact while lined up in different spots.

McGee started nine games in 2016 and easily had the best season of his career. According to Pro Football Reference, McGee finished with two forced fumbles, 14 tackles, and two and a half sacks.

At just 27 years old, McGee is in his prime. So that combined with his career year is what led to his payday. The Washington Redskins signed McGee to a contract worth $25 million over five years, with a signing bonus of $4 million, per Spotrac.

It would have been nice to have McGee back in Silver and Black, but at that price, the decision to let him go is one that had to be made. The Raiders needed help on the interior of the defensive line even with McGee in the mix, and now, they’ll need it even more.

Brynden Trawick

Brynden Trawick was not a well-known name when Reggie McKenzie signed him last offseason. But by the time the season was over, he was a household name amongst Raider Nation.

Trawick already had a reputation as one of the better special teams player in the NFL before coming to Oakland, and with an outstanding season in 2016, he’s now right at the top of that conversation.

And even outside of his excellent special teams play, Trawick showed some value. When both Karl Joseph and Nate Allen were ailing, Trawick filled in admirably at safety.

The Tennessee Titans capitalized on Trawick being on the open market, and made him the highest paid special teams player in the league. With a contract worth almost five million dollars over two years, McKenzie probably figured the other special teams players on the roster could pickup the slack, and that he could find cheaper safety depth via the draft.

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Menelik Watson

The Denver Broncos may have signed Menelik Watson with the intent of hurting the Raiders more so than helping their own offensive line. Whether or not that works out remains to be seen.

With that being said, right tackle is not a position of strength for the Raiders. And at the very least, the loss of Watson means the depth on the right side takes a blow. While his career has been riddled with injuries, the number of total games he appeared in his might than most think. For example, he ended up playing in 10 games in 2016 and 12 games in 2014.

What the loss of Menelik really tells us is that the Raiders have to start from scratch in regard to finding a long-term solution at right tackle.

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