Perry Riley Jr: A forgotten man

With Perry Riley Jr. nowhere to be found, it appears that the free agent inside linebacker is not part of the future plans of the Oakland Raiders.

As he has done throughout his short time as a Raider, Bruce Irvin has once again taken to Twitter to voice his opinion on the team’s personnel decisions. Irvin might have a career as a front office executive waiting for him when his playing career is over, as he has not been shy about recruiting free agents to the team. This time, he is urging Reggie McKenzie and the rest of the Oakland Raiders brass to bring back linebacker mate from last season, Perry Riley Jr.

Inside linebacker remained a glaring hole on the roster after the team failed to sign one in free agency.  Zach Brown was brought in for a visit but left the building without a contract, opting instead to sign a one-year deal in Washington with a base salary of 2.3 million. That seems like a bargain for a 27-year old linebacker who finished the season with 149 tackles and 4 sacks. One of Brown’s best qualities, which was intriguing to Raiders fans, is his ability in coverage.

And even though Marquel Lee was selected in the fifth round of the draft, the depth at the position remains thin. Jack Del Rio has already stated that someone will be added to the linebacker core at some point, and it certainly makes sense that Perry Riley Jr. is that man.

After a historically bad defensive start to the 2016 season, Riley was signed in Week 5 to help shore up the middle of the defense. He had spent his previous six seasons in Washington, and was cut in August of 2016 after struggling to return from foot surgery.

Expectations for Riley were minimal, coming off the street after a quarter of the season had passed, and him coming off a down year both from a productive and health standpoint. But he was a pleasant surprise, starting 11 games and racking up 48 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. He brought some much needed stability to the defense in his short stint.

Unfortunately, with no progress made on bringing him back for the 2017 season, it seems that Riley has become a forgotten man when it comes to the plans of the team. It more than likely is just posturing about finances, but given the delay, it’s a legitimate question whether or not he’ll be back with the team.

If nothing else, Riley should be brought back to provide some veteran leadership to help mentor what is still largely a very young defense. At this point of his career, his salary cap hit should be marginal, especially with McKenzie knowing that he has a handful of hefty extensions on the horizon.

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On May 9, the Raiders had an opportunity to utilize a tender that would count Riley towards the team’s compensatory picks if he signed with the team by July 22, but they decided not to. Now that he is a non-tendered free agent, the Raiders would not receive draft pick compensation should he sign with another team.

It’s certainly a peculiar decision to not go with a tender of some kind, but at least it doesn’t restrict the team from signing him. But it does show that he is not a priority, and thus, a forgotten man.