Las Vegas Raiders must use cap space to be legitimate contender in 2022

Jan 15, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Alex Leatherwood (70) reacts after their loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Alex Leatherwood (70) reacts after their loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
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Raiders
HENDERSON, NEVADA – JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on during the team’s first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

If the Las Vegas Raiders want to be legitimate contenders in 2022, they have to use the rest of their cap space.

Nearly 2 weeks into training camp, the Las Vegas Raiders currently have the second-most available cap space in the NFL and have yet to use it. This cap space was created with the June 1 releases of Cory Littleton and Carl Nassib and the eventual pay cut and retirement of Denzelle Good.

However, since this newly created cap space, the Raiders have yet to use any of it, aside from a small pay bump this season for Hunter Renfrow.

If the new regime is truly serious about competing for an NFL championship, they need to show that commitment by adding to this roster. While the Raiders could hold some of this cap space for extensions for Darren Waller and Denzell Perryman, they still have plenty of room to add other players.

An extension for Waller and Perryman shouldn’t cost a significant chunk of the current cap space and the Raiders have a ton of available cap space next offseason.

The Raiders have shown their desire to compete this season after a surprise playoff berth in 2021 and to truly compete they must fill a few holes. The Raiders have needs on the defensive line, offensive line and all around depth as a whole. It could be that the Raiders wanted to get a look at their team as is before making any veteran additions, but between injuries and ineffectiveness, the team could use some depth.

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