The Oakland Raiders brought a familiar face back on Saturday, as they signed safety Reggie Nelson to a one-year deal for the 2018 season.
Heading into the 2018 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders need to make more moves to bolster their secondary. On Saturday, news broke that the team would be bringing back Reggie Nelson in 2018.
Nelson has been a mainstay in the Raiders lineup since coming over to the team from the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the 2016 season. He has started all 32 regular season games since then, and has racked up six interceptions over those two seasons.
Unfortunatley for the Raiders, five of those came in 2016, as the secondary as a whole struggled mightily last season. Nelson will be asked to help the youngsters in 2018, and likely will not be a member of the starting lineup any longer.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted out the news on Saturday morning.
Free agent safety Reggie Nelson agreed to terms with the #Raiders on 1-year deal, source said. Someone to help teach DC Paul Guenther’s system.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2018
The Raiders brought in Marcus Gilchrist this offseason, and the expectation is he will start alongside Karl Joseph at safety next season. Oakland also spent a second round pick on Obi Melifonwu in the 2017 NFL Draft, and after a injury-plagued 2017 campaign, the team expects him to contribute in a big way this season.
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Nelson worked with new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther during their time in Cincinnati, so the move makes sense in that regard. This Raiders secondary will have a brand new look in 2018, so Nelson will likely serve as a veteran to help the young players get adjusted to the new schemes.