Grading each move the Las Vegas Raiders made during wave two of free agency.
It was a wildly unexpected first wave of free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders. Entering the off-season in desperate need of a wideout, the Silver and Black not only managed to get their hands on a legitimate wide receiver No.1 but snagged the best in the business at the position.
In just a handful of days, a rumor that circulated the building for years became a reality; Davante Adams became a Raider.
Adams wasn’t the only star-power Las Vegas acquired, either. The first big move of the Raiders’ free agency was signing 2x All-Pro edge rusher, Chandler Jones, giving Las Vegas two All-Pro edge rushers; Something Raider Nation shouldn’t take for granted, being no team had fewer sacks than the Raiders just three seasons ago.
In addition to these two superstars, the new front office in Las Vegas addressed both running-back and cornerback depth. Still, a lot of positions were left needing to be deeper at the end of wave one, most notably defensive tackle and linebacker. After all, there were only two players at both positions on the roster.
Wave one was all about bringing in high-tier talent, and the Raiders did about as well as Raider Nation could’ve dreamed of. They signed the elite Chandler Jones, then traded Yannick Ngakoue for a corner that allowed an out of this world 26% of passes to be completed in man coverage last year. Davante Adams was next, and McDaniels even managed to bring in his favorite fullback.
After setting the tone with an aggressive first wave, how did Las Vegas fair in the second? Let’s dive into it, assessing each signing and discussing both what the Silver and Black did, and didn’t do.