Las Vegas Raiders: Grading 2021 week 2 defensive free agent additions
Darius Philon – Defensive Tackle, Unaffiliated
Darius Philon was last with the Arizona Cardinals officially but just months after signing a two-year, $10 million deal, he was released after being arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Philon was likely going to be suspended, but the team released him, and he has not been on a roster since so there may still be punishment coming his way.
Prior to signing with Arizona, Philon spent four years with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers after being taken in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He started 19 out of 54 games for the Chargers and recorded 9.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 22 QB hits.
The progression from him was clear as he got better every season before his off the field conduct derailed his career.
There are no contract details out yet but we can’t imagine it’s any more than the minimum and there should be little, if any, guaranteed money on the deal. Philon is trying to make his way back to the league by joining up with his former defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley, but there are no guarantees that he will be on the roster.
Grading this move on a curve where we take in to account Philon’s long layoff, the fact that he is still just 27, and his past production makes this a potential steal in free agency. If he is back to his 2018 form where he had four sacks and seven tackles for loss while playing around half of the defensive snaps then this may be a great value for the Raiders.
If he’s not ready then he is a camp body and will be looking for a new team come August.
Grade: C+