The Oakland Raiders are starting to get down to business for 2019, as they made some moves with their pending free agents on Thursday.
New Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock will have a lot of decisions to make over the next couple of months, as the Silver and Black look to finalize their roster for the 2019 season. On Thursday, he started that process, tendered impending restricted free agents running back Jalen Richard, cornerback Daryl Worley, and safety Erik Harris.
Both Richard and Worley got second-round tenders, which is pretty significant, considering a team would have to give up a second-round pick if the Raiders do not match their offer. Harris got an originial round tender, so if they do not try and match an offer, they receive nothing.
In addition, Mayock and his staff went to work on some exclusive-rights free agents, tendering both kicker Daniel Carlson, and linebacker Jason Cabinda. Both players were pleasant surprises for the Raiders in 2018, and should be building blocks on this roster moving forward.
For Richard, he had a very solid year in the backfield for the Raiders, becoming one of the better pass-catching running backs in football. Worley, who is only 24-years old, took advantage of the opportunity presented to him by Jon Gruden and his staff, and should be a starter alongside Gareon Conley in the Raiders secondary next season.
In Harris, the Raiders got another pleasant surprise, as he not only made the team, but was one of the higher graded safeties in the AFC West according to Pro Football Focus.
Of all the rookies that put on the Silver and Black last season, Carlson had the most important season, as he appears to be the team’s long-term answer at kicker. Carlson came over to the Raiders after being cut by the Minnesota Vikings, and showed incredible accuracy, connecting on 16-of-17 field goals, while hitting all 18 of his extra point tries.
Cabinda was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Penn State, and actually started some games down the stretch, showing the ability to play middle linebacker at the NFL level.
There is still a lot of work to be done, as the Raiders have more than their fair share of pending free agents, and plenty of holes to fill. Oakland has a chance to really improve this roster this offseason, and based on the moves they made on Thursday, there is reason to be very excited with where the team is headed.
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