Las Vegas Raiders: 10 free agents that could help the pass rush

DT Kerry Hyder

There was a joke on Raiders Twitter this season that the Raiders signed the wrong defensive lineman from Dallas, as they chose to bring in Maliek Collins over Kerry Hyder. It seemed like an obvious choice after the 2019 season, as Collins was excellent for Dallas, but he was a non-factor for the Raiders in 2020 while Hyder shined for the San Francisco 49ers.

Hyder was brought in as a backup on a one-year/$1.5 million deal, but after the rash of injuries on the defensive line, the former Cowboy started 14 games for San Francisco, and absolutely lit it up. He recorded 49 tackles, ten tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks for a 49ers defense that was missing some of its best players for the majority of the season.

This season was a bit of a flash in the pan for the former undrafted lineman, as he has just 18.5 sacks in his six-year career, but he also had an eight-sack season for Detroit in 2016. He is another player that is familiar with Rod Marinell’s defensive line scheme so the learning curve would not be very steep, but he may be looking to cash in on a big season.

Hyder is 29-years-old and has made around $4 million in his career so far, so a decent payday may be what he is looking for in 2021, in addition to a long term contract. The Raiders could convince him that he would be given a starting role similar to what they offered to Maliek Collins in 2020, but there is always a chance of him being a one-year wonder in SF.