Oakland Raiders: The Good and The Bad of Each Free Agent Signing

Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson was the second free agent addition made by Reggie McKenzie this offseason, and the first that made a splash.

With Andre Holmes as an unrestricted free agent, there were mixed opinions on whether or not he would be brought back. With the signing of Patterson, that decision was made.

McKenzie inked the wide receiver and return man to a two-year deal worth $8.5 million, with $5 million of it all being guaranteed in the first season, and the option to void after year one with unspecified playing time and production marks.

The Good

As a former-first round draft pick in 2013, Patterson hasn’t lived up to his draft slot, but he’s still carved out a decent career thus far. Particularly in the return game.

Patterson boasting the second highest kick return average in NFL history is quite impressive, and it’s not like he has a low number of kick returns that inflate his average.

For his career, Cordarrelle has returned 134 kicks for 4,075 yards and 5 TDs. And to further cement himself as one of the best kick returners the NFL has ever seen, Chris Tomasson shared this interesting nugget of information:

Having Patterson as the kick returner will free up Richard to return only punts, which will also help keep Jalen fresh, as he’ll likely be called upon for an increased role at running back.

As a receiver, Patterson will immediately step in and compete for the third receiver spot with Seth Roberts. With a good training camp and/or a solid start to the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take over that role.

And if needed, he can also be used creatively by new offensive coordinator Todd Downing. Patterson has proven himself as a weapon on offense, and could be used on end-arounds or even at running back. For his career, he has a 10.7 yards per carry average.

Lastly, Cordarrelle earned a reputation as an outstanding gunner on special teams in 2016, just as Andre Holmes was. So he’ll be able to contribute in several areas, making him a great addition.

The Bad

Patterson is one of many players from the 2013 draft class that failed to live up to their draft slot as first-round picks.

As a dynamic athlete, Patterson was expected to be a playmaker at the next level, but that has hardly come to fruition. Most of that is due to his lack of route-running savvy. Athleticism only does so much for a player if they can’t run a good enough route to get open.

After a decent rookie year, Patterson regressed in his sophomore campaign, catching just 33 passes for 384 yards and 1 TD.

He fell completely out of favor in 2015, starting only one game and catching just 2 passes for 10 yards for the entire year. He continued his impressive play as a kick returner, but it seemed like he was done as a wide receiver.

To his credit, he emerged in 2016 and had a career year, but some concerns still remain. He hasn’t developed much as a route-runner, and still has work to do to live up to his talent level and athleticism.

Marshall Newhouse

When the legal tampering period of free agency got underway on March 7, Raider Nation eagerly awaited news that the Raiders would be signing one of the top free agents on the market — Calais Campbell, Dont’a Hightower and/or Tony Jefferson, just to name a few.

But through two days of the tampering period and roughly the first 36 hours of the official start of free agency, it was quiet in Oakland. The Raiders had only been linked to a couple of free agents, while losing seven of their own.

And then late in the evening of March 10, Reggie McKenzie made his first move — offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse was signed to a two-year deal worth $3.5 million, with just $500,000 guaranteed.

The Good

With the expected departure of Menelik Watson via free agency, the Raiders would need to find depth at right tackle. Even though they already had Austin Howard, Denver Kirkland and Vadal Alexander in the fold, two of the three (Howard and Alexander) dealt with injuries during the season.

Also, Alexander might be best suited at guard, so adding another tackle to the team provides another option if needed. Plus, like Howard, Kirkland and Alexander, Newhouse also has experience playing guard. So having four players who all have the versatility to play either tackle or guard gives Mike Tice options if he needs get creative.

Newhouse isn’t exactly a standout at right tackle, but his most important positive trait might be his durability. He has played in 86 out of 96 possible games in his career, so that kind of reliability is much needed. The carousel the Raiders experienced at right tackle in 2016 will now receive some stability in 2017 thanks to Newhouse.

Lastly, as mentioned above, his contract only has $500,00 in guaranteed money. So worst case scenario, if he doesn’t work out, he can be released with minimal financial impact. And at best, if he does work out, the Raiders have a cheap, capable veteran right tackle with the versatility to play guard.

The Bad

While Newhouse comes on a bargain contract, some would argue that there is a reason for that. Take New York Giants fans, for example.

When Newhouse was the highest-rated player in the team’s Week 1 victory over the Cowboys, Giants fans were shocked.

The surprise came largely because following a rough season in 2014 with the Bengals, the Giants signed him as a free agent, and those struggles continued in 2015. With back to back disappointing seasons to his name, Giants fans were shocked when Newhouse started 2016 with a strong game.

And Newhouse’s struggles go farther back than just those years. Rob Demovsky covers the Packers, which is where Newhouse was in 2011. He noted that Newhouse allowed 11.5 sacks during the regular season, which is awful to say the least.

So he has a spotty track record in pass protection, which doesn’t inspire much confidence. And by most accounts, he’s considered just a decent run blocker.

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So while he may not be the impressive offensive lineman like four of his new teammates, he should not be expected to be that. He’ll provide depth, versatility and reliability. And if he does struggle like he has in the past, the Raiders can move on from him with minimal financial impact.