Oakland Raiders: 5 2018 free agency targets in-house

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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 03: Denico Autry No. 96 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Geno Smith No. 3 of the New York Giants during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 3, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Mississippi State Bulldogs. Denico Autry. 2. player. 28. . Defensive End

If there are two guys that Gruden and his staff end up bringing back in 2018 free agency, the first guy we have to talk about is defensive end Denico Autry. Until he suffered a pair of injuries that limited his effectiveness late in the year, Autry was becoming that third reliable pass rusher the Raiders needed opposite of Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.

Autry was able to generate pressure from a variety of spots along the defensive line. Those three players elevated each other down the stretch once John Pagano took over the Oakland defense for the departed Ken Norton Jr. To be fair, it wasn’t a huge sample size of stellar play for Autry, but the high-end we got to see can’t be ignored.

It feels like Autry could be a guy could thrive in Guenther’s front-seven. Not to say that he was playing out of position, but there could be something Guenther could unlock out of him in 2018. While Autry will not reach or approach 10 quarterback sacks in a season like Mack or Irvin, there’s no reason he can’t be a 5.0 sack guy in the right defensive front.

It will be interesting what he can garner on the open market. Oakland could end up overpaying for him a bit, but we have to believe that the best ball out of Autry just hasn’t happened yet. With a new staff in place, he could have a breakout season in 2018 for the Raiders.

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