The Draft as come and gone, and the Raiders had either a very good draft or literally the worst draft in the league, depending on where you look. Analysis!
The team didn't address their needs at quarterback, which was a tiny bit surprising but ultimately not the end of the world. There were other positions of need that the team did work to strengthen, and if Gardner Minshew can be even just okay-ish for most of the year, there's no reason to believe this roster can't be one or two wins better than last year.
Still, there are plenty of free agents out there that could make an real impact on the team next year – which probably says more about the state of the Raiders' roster than it does the talent level still available on the market. But that's life when you're a seven win team in the AFC West, and the Raiders realistically have a couple more seasons before they are contenders. So in the meantime, here are three free agents that could help out.
3 Top free agents Raiders must sign after 2024 NFL Draft
1. CB Stephon Gilmore
I've been banging this drum for a while now, and the tune remains the same: Gilmore is Pro Football Focus' best available free agent right now, and would make all the sense in the world for the Raiders. There are some talent young guys in the secondary right now, but no one with anywhere close to the pedigree and career of Gilmore. He may not be the elite shutdown corner that he was in his prime, but he's still plenty good enough to be a starter – he finished 2023 ranked 35th out of 127 by PFF. Gilmore would do wonders for Jakorian Bennett and Decamerion Richardson while also making the secondary much better in the meantime. It's a no-brainer.
2. QB Ryan Tannehill
It seems like the Raiders have made their peace with their QB situation, at least for this year. There were QBs to be had in the draft this year – more than ever, in fact – and LV decided to stand pat and take a tight end instead. That decision is what it is, but it shouldn't exclude them from keeping an open mind about an insurance policy or two. Tannehill's still looking for a team, and was a Top-20 QB as recently as 2022. Even if Gardner Minshew is QB1, bringing Tannehill in and hoping to catch the very end of his career wouldn't be the worst idea. If you're going to try and string together wins with replacement-level QBs, it probably makes sense to have multiple replacement-level QBs on the roster. If Minshew goes down, would you rather turn the offense over to Tannehill or Aidan O'Connell?
3. LB Zach Cunningham
The Raiders need linebacker help, and Cunningham is realistically the best linebacker still available. He was the 37th ranked linebacker (PFF) last year, which was roughly in the 50th percentile, according to PFF. That's more than enough for the Raiders, who currently have only have one linebacker on the roster – Robert Spillane – who ranked better than that in 2023. It's not a longterm answer, but no one on this list is. If they want the floor of their defense to raise while the young guys still learn on the job, Cunningham is a great player to do that with.