Las Vegas Raiders may have been aware that new head coach Pete Carroll is not averse to doing things the rest of the NFL may deem a little bit risky, but they are finding out how unconventional he can be with the first big free agency move he and GM John Spytek have agreed upon.
The Cincinnati Bengals, in an attempt to both improve their offensive line and get some cap space, released starting guard Alex Cappa with one year left on his contract. It didn't take long for Las Vegas to smell some blood in the water and pick him up.
The Raiders not only picked up Cappa, but they gave him a multi-year deal, as John Spytek threw out a two-year, $11 million contract to a durable player who has missed just one game in the last five seasons with both the Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Spytek and Cappa have a relationship dating back to their days in Tampa.
Vegas seems to believe they can bring the old Cappa back from the dead. If they are wrong, this could have some major consequences on new OC Chip Kelly's offense in what should be a pivotal debut season for Carroll.
Raiders taking big risk with Alex Cappa free agent signing
Cappa was a solid guard on his rookie deal for the Buccaneers, and he put forth some solid production after arriving in Cincinnati following some wretched offensive lines early in Joe Burrow's Bengals tenure. Unfortunately, the bloom came off the rose for the former Division II star.
Cappa ranked 110th out of 135 qualifying NFL guards in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, and his pathetic 39.7 pass blocking grade may have been one of the reasons his eight sacks allowed were tied for the most of any guard in the league last season. Cappa's 51 total pressures, which equate to three every game, was the worst mark in the NFL.
Cappa, who just turned 30 years old, could benefit from a change of scenery. However, considering the low depths he found himself in last season, Cappa should be used as nothing more than veteran depth at this stage of his career.
The Raiders' interior line trio of rookie standout Jackson Powers-Johnson, center Andre James, and youngster Dylan Parham is by no means full of Hall of Famers, but it showed enough last year to avoid being uprooted to accommodate a player like Cappa. Time will tell if Carroll can work his magic.