Las Vegas Raiders: 3 starters from 2022 who are prime cut candidates
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders: 3 starters from 2022 who are prime cut candidates
Bilal Nichols
Bilal Nichols was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears back in 2018, and he spent his entire NFL career with that franchise before signing a two-year deal to come to Las Vegas this past offseason. While Nichols was solid for the Raiders, I believe they are going to revamp the defense in a big way this offseason, and his cap number is too high.
In his only season with the Silver and Black, Nichols appeared and started in all 17 games, racking up 44 tackles, including four tackles for a loss. His 1.5 sacks were the second-lowest total of his NFL career, though he did rack up 11 quarterback hits, which were the second-most he has had across five seasons.
Next year, Nichols would be on the books for $6,687,500, but releasing him would bring back give the Raiders over $3 million in cap space after the dead cap hit. Nichols is a good player, but after the team struggled from the defensive tackle position in 2022, the group is going to look a lot different in 2023.