The Oakland Raiders added more talent to their secondary this past week, signing former New York Giants free safety Curtis Riley.
The Oakland Raiders have been rebuilding their secondary this offseason, and they continued to do so this past week, bringing in another safety to the mix. That man is Curtis Riley, who started 16 games as a member of the New York Giants last season.
Riley’s 16 games as a starter last season were his first starts of his NFL career, after spending two years as a reserve for the Tennessee Titans. He did finish the year with four interceptions, but was terrible against the run, which is something Raiders fans should be weary of.
With the Raiders, Riley is expected to be in the mix for a starting job, and will join a group that includes guys like Karl Joseph, Erik Harris, and Lamarcus Joyner. Oakland plans to move Joyner around, after working exclusively as a safety for the Los Angeles Rams last season, clearing space for Riley to grab a starting job.
Here are the contract details, national reaction, and grade for the Curtis Riley signing.
Contract Details
Former Giants safety Curtis Riley agreed to a one-year contract with the Raiders, a source said. He started 16 games in 2018 and could push for a starting role opposite Karl Joseph.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 22, 2019
National Reaction
Former Giants S Curtis Riley is joining the Raiders after visiting with them earlier this week. https://t.co/246Cvcu8eZ
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 22, 2019
Curtis Riley had a breakout 2018 season with the #Giants. According to him, he’s bringing that energy to the #Raiders.
— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) March 22, 2019
Undrafted guy exceeding outside expectations. https://t.co/OEZKhNWT0k
Grade
The Raiders secondary was downright bad last season, although they did have some guys step up big time towards the end of the season. Joseph and Harris were two of the higher-graded safeties in the AFC West according to Pro Football Focus, and both are back for 2019.
With Joyner likely playing mostly as a slot corner next season, the addition of Riley to this secondary makes a lot of sense. Joseph and Harris will be the leaders of this position group, but Riley adds swagger to the back end of their defense, and comes to Oakland after his breakout season in New York.
Riley was a teammate of Derek Carr at Fresno State, so you have to think the move to Oakland will be an easy one for him. The jury is still out as to what kind of player Riley will be down the road, but he is only here on a one-year deal, and most guys go out and try to prove their worth on those kinds of contracts.