The Las Vegas Raiders finished the first day of NFL free agency with a bang but still haven’t addressed a huge hole.
The Silver and Black decided that addressing the lack of pass rush required the most attention this offseason. As a result, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Pro Bowl edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue to a two-year deal.
This is great news for new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, as he coached Ngakoue back in Jacksonville in 2016. Nevertheless, Bradley still needs a safety for his backfield, and unfortunately, the Raiders have yet to make a splash in that department.
If the season started today, Bradley’s safeties would Jeff Heath and Johnathan Abram. If there’s someone who can get Abram up to speed it will be Bradley and his assistant, Ron Milus. Heath came on strong later in the year once his snaps increased, he was the hero of the 42-30 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, a premier free safety in the backfield is missing.
The Raiders will be missing out on the premier free-agent safeties
The biggest name still available is arguably Anthony Harris, whom the Minnesota Vikings opted to allow to test free agency. The Raiders could opt to rebuild the secondary by drafting a safety such as Trevon Moehrig, a plausible option but acquiring a proven playmaker in the backfield would’ve been the smarter option.
This isn’t to say Harris won’t be signed as free agency news develops quickly the first few days.
Also, unless one is acquired by trade, many of the big names actually didn’t get the chance to test their value. The Denver Broncos placed their franchise tag on Justin Simmons, and he would’ve commanded the most money had he been allowed to test the market.
The same thing happened to Marcus Maye, as the New York Jets didn’t take any chances. Also, John Johnson opted to join the surprise team of 2020 in the Cleveland Browns. Definitely, a touted possibility though our own BD Willians pointed out the Raiders need someone to play the post, so clearly that signing wouldn’t have made much sense.
So now what?
Hang in there Raider Nation, not all is lost. The organization still has some intriguing options depending on how they’re planning to spend their capital. Malik Hooker makes the most sense at this point at free safety, but coming off a torn Achilles last year, the Raiders should tread lightly not overcommit by overpaying Booker.
Again, if the team feels that they can draft a potential starting safety, why overpay someone coming off injury? For now, let’s keep an eye on the news and see what the Raiders have in store. It’s possible the team’s brain trust might already have its eyes set on a safety, they just can’t reveal it until next month.