2022 Raiders free agency: Recapping an exciting Day 1 of the new league year

The Las Vegas Raiders start off the free agency signing period with a bang, bolstering their defense and bringing in key offensive pieces.

After doing nothing too notable in both of the legal tampering days, the Las Vegas Raiders came out swinging for the fences on Day 1 of the free agency signing period.

There are a ton of moves to cover; None being as big as the Chandler Jones signing. Upon bringing in Jones, the Raiders shipped defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. This killed two birds with one stone, not only bringing in arguably the league’s best edge rusher but addressing the starting outside-cornerback issue.

Chandler Jones is a 2x first-team All-Pro, in addition to a two-time top-three Defensive Player of the Year finalist. Ngakoue is no slouch, being a Pro Bowl alternate in the ’21 season. With that being said, if you can get a player of Chandler Jones caliber, you get him – And Las Vegas did just that.

The 26-year-old Rock Ya-Sin comes in as an immediate starting outside-corner, opposite of Trayvon Mullen. Ya-Sin was taken six-picks before Mullen in the ’19 NFL draft, and now their paths cross once again as teammates in Vegas. Both of these corners are in the final year of their contracts, meaning the battle to outplay each other is on.

Chandler Jones wasn’t the only move the Raiders made on the defensive line; In fact, Jones wasn’t even the first move on the line. Former Bears defensive tackle Bilal Nichols joins Las Vegas on a two-year deal worth up to $11 million.

Nichols has tallied 8 sacks across his last two seasons, in addition to a combined 12 tackles behind the line. Last year, the former Bear was also able to force two fumbles. Nichols is not only someone that can get to the quarterback, but he’s also a player that can create a turnover.

After agreeing to terms with just one player over the last two days, we now find ourselves in a position we’ve only covered 1/3 of the Raiders’ new signings.

Buckle up; There’s a lot more to discuss.