Just Blog Baby
FanSided

Raiders: Free agency big board following Tyreek Hill’s departure

By Alexander Monfreda

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 19: A Raiders logo is illuminated at the base of the marquee outside Allegiant Stadium, the USD 2 billion, 65,000-seat home of the Las Vegas Raiders, on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders will play their first game as Las Vegas' NFL franchise at the glass-domed facility against the New Orleans Saints on September 21, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the league's first "Monday Night Football" broadcast. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 19: A Raiders logo is illuminated at the base of the marquee outside Allegiant Stadium, the USD 2 billion, 65,000-seat home of the Las Vegas Raiders, on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders will play their first game as Las Vegas' NFL franchise at the glass-domed facility against the New Orleans Saints on September 21, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the league's first "Monday Night Football" broadcast. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
ORCHARD PARK, NY – JANUARY 02: Daryl Williams #75 of the Buffalo Bills looks to make a block against the Atlanta Falcons at Highmark Stadium on January 2, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – JANUARY 02: Daryl Williams #75 of the Buffalo Bills looks to make a block against the Atlanta Falcons at Highmark Stadium on January 2, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /

Raiders 2022 free agency big board: 10 realistic free agents following Tyreek Hill’s departure from the AFC West.

Offensive Line

The Raiders touched on many things within the last three days, and the offensive line was one of them. However, both of their offensive line transactions involved bringing back players from the ’21 season, where the unit ranked 28th in the NFL. With that being the case, this is still a unit that could use improvement.

With the bulk of the Raiders’ problems coming into the off-season being addressed, the offensive line unit remains the weakest for Las Vegas. As such, a good chunk of the big board will be found here, in an attempt to turn a bottom-five ranked unit into a serviceable wall of protection.

Daryl Williams, OL

Williams has played both right guard and tackle and has been masterful at times. Ultimately, this means Williams can play whichever spot Leatherwood ends up not playing. In 2019, the former Buffalo lineman had an extremely forgettable year with 12 sacks given up. He responded to that by having his best season as a pro the following year, dropping that number to 3 and earning a 79.4 PFF grade.

Michael Schofield III, OL

Just like Daryl Williams, Schofield has an abundance of starting experience at both right guard and tackle. This has been my favorite fit with the Raiders for a while now, due to his versatility and familiarity with the AFC West. Schofield has spent four of his last five seasons with the Chargers, allowing two sacks his final year as a tackle, and one sack the last season he played guard.

Germain Ifedi, OL

Continuing with the theme of players who’ve started at both right guard and tackle, we have Germain Ifedi. Before last year, Ifedi was a model of health, missing just one game from ’17-’20. Being he’s coming off a knee injury that sidelined him for eight weeks, in a contest against the very same Raiders that may look to sign him, he will likely agree to a one-year bargain with one lucky team.

Marcus Cannon, RT

If the Raiders are content with Leatherwood playing guard, Cannon maybe someone general manager Dave Ziegler gives a call. Personally, I’m not the biggest Marcus Cannon fan, but this move would make a lot of sense. Head coach Josh McDaniels is quite fond of Cannon, and that’s only logical, seeing as the two have some great history together.

Jermaine Eluemunor, who was recently brought back, would likely compete with Cannon for a starting spot on the offensive line.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G

Like Schofield, Duvernay-Tardif is also very familiar with the AFC West, being a constant starter on the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line from ’15-’20. Although he’s expressed the desire to stay with the team he spent the 2021 season with, the New York Jets, no progress has been made one month later. Should the Raiders prefer to keep Leatherwood at right tackle, Duvernay-Tardif is a great option at right guard.

JC Tretter, C

Tretter remains on the list simply because he’s a great player in a dry market. Las Vegas doesn’t have to settle for a right guard or tackle if they don’t want to; They could bring in a center, and move Andre James to guard. Dating back to 2018, Tretter has yet to allow more than one sack in a season. He’s one of the better offensive linemen on the market right now, and the Raiders could land him for a bargain.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders Free Agency