NaVorro Bowman is on the Oakland Raiders’ radar

The San Francisco 49ers released linebacker NaVorro Bowman on Friday. He expects to sign with a team by Monday, but should that team be the Oakland Raiders?

After 7.5 years with the San Francisco 49ers, the team has decided to part ways with veteran linebacker NaVorro Bowman. Bowman was a huge part of those great defenses in San Francisco during the Jim Harbaugh era, but has experienced a drop in production.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Bowman expects to sign with his team no later than Monday, with his release becoming official on Saturday.

Given that Bowman is a four-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler, he will garner a ton of interest on the open market. One of those teams that could have intrigue is the Oakland Raiders. However, should this team be looking to add this veteran linebacker that is now a free agent?

Oakland does need help at linebacker. Its fifth-round rookie out of Wake Forest in Marquel Lee was carted off the field in Week 5 with an ankle injury. Lee was unable to practice for the Raiders this week.

Bowman would certainly add veteran leadership to its linebacking corps. Oakland has chosen to not address the position group at the top of recent NFL Drafts. The Raiders have three former linebackers in their building in head coach Jack Del Rio, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and general manager Reggie McKenzie. In theory, adding Bowman would be like having an on-field coach for the Raiders.

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With him being cut by the 49ers, Bowman wouldn’t be as expensive as he was in San Francisco should he join the Raiders. However, the Raiders shouldn’t expect the 29-year-old veteran linebacker out of Penn State to be the same play he once was.

Bowman was an elite player in this league form 2011 to 2015. Keep in mind that he missed all the 2014 season due to injury. He bounced back with another fantastic year for the 49ers in 2015, but has appeared in only nine games in the last two seasons.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Bowman’s overall grade this season is a miserable 45.0. While he is still stout in run defense at 70.2, he doesn’t seem to have the speed he once did. Bowman’s coverage grade is a 43.2. His pass rushing grade is 48.8.

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No, this isn’t a small sample size. Bowman has played 354 snaps for the 2017 49ers over five games. This has him as the No. 63 overall graded linebacker this season. Perhaps this move by the 49ers is to create more of an opportunity for rookie Reuben Foster now that the team is 0-5?

In short, for the right price, Bowman would be a worthwhile addition to the Raiders linebacking corps. He would bring a level of professionalism to the defense and a cerebral element to the Raiders defense. However, he’s clearly lost a step and Oakland has to realize that.

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That being said, Lee is more of a run-stopping linebacker than anything. Since Bowman is still able to do that at a high level, he could be a solid player in the middle of the Raiders defense for the rest of the year if signed.