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4 players the Las Vegas Raiders should not give up on

By Khaled Abdallah

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 26: General Manager Mike Mayock of the Oakland Raiders of the North Team on the field before the start of the 2019 Reese's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 26: General Manager Mike Mayock of the Oakland Raiders of the North Team on the field before the start of the 2019 Reese's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Raiders safety Jeff Heath. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Raiders safety Jeff Heath. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Raiders SS, Jeff Heath

Jeff Heath is another player that the Raiders can release without any cap issues, as the former Dallas Cowboy signed a two-year, $6 million deal in 2020 with just $2.8 million of it guaranteed in the first season. In another inexplicable personnel decision, the Raiders chose to start Erik Harris ahead of Heath despite the veteran being a superior player in nearly every category.

Heath has proved to be a heavy hitter and ballhawk in his time in the league with eight interceptions and five forced fumbles as a Cowboy, and those skills were on display yet again in Las Vegas. Despite playing just 38% of the team’s defensive snaps, Heath led the Raiders in interceptions and made massive plays in divisional games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.

The former undrafted player has never shied away from contact, and brought another level of physicality to the Raider secondary, but did have trouble staying on the field because of that. He can play both safety positions and can start alongside Johnathan Abram at FS if the Raiders decide to release Lamarcus Joyner and are unable to bring in a better player in free agency.

Next. Las Vegas Raiders 2020 season grades: Wide Receivers. dark

Ideally, Heath would be a rotational player at the safety position and a contributor on special teams, but the team would feel comfortable starting him in a pinch. A long-term solution is needed for free safety but Heath is a viable option as a plug and play veteran who knows where to be and what to do.

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