Las Vegas Raiders: NFC West 2021 free agents to ‘steal’

Richard Sherman is another great veteran CB option but can also fill another need

After flirting with Richard Sherman on a podcast and expressing a desire to sign him, many expected Jon Gruden to make the veteran cornerback one of his priorities in free agency. We are not about 10 days into free agency and Richard Sherman is still unsigned and the Raiders are still looking for veteran help in the defensive backfield.

Sherman had a Pro Bowl season in 2019 with the 49ers and playedi n 15 games but had a difficult 2020 and featured in just 5 games. In those 5 games he still managed to snag an interception but he was on injured reserve for a big chunk of the season and was inactive for the last two games of the season.

The former Legion of Boom member is now nearly 33 years old so there are questions of what he has left in the tank and if he can even still play cornerback anymore. This is where things get interesting as the Raiders need help at free safety and Sherman could transition to that role as many other great cornerbacks have done.

Charles Woodson played cornerback for 14 years before making the switch to safety and managed to record 10 interceptions in his last 3 season with the Raiders at 37, 38, and 39 years old. Rod Woodson is another Hall of Fame corner that switch to safety after 12 years and had an All Pro season with Oakland in 2003 at 38 years old.

Sherman is a spring chicken compared to those two all-timers and this could perhaps be the next step of his career if he is open to the idea. This could fill a major need for the Raiders even if they take a safety early in the draft and provides the defense with a proven winner and veteran leader.