Raiders letting Andrew Billings leave via free agency
Like we mentioned earlier in this piece, the Raiders went into the 2023 offseason in desperate need for help along the defensive line. Yes, the Raiders have one of the top defensive players in the game playing edge rusher in Maxx Crosby, who has been terrific once again this season, but defensive tackle was a major need heading into free agency and the NFL Draft.
We already spoke to the fact that the Raiders passed up on Jalen Carter, who now looks like a generational talent for the Philadelphia Eagles. In free agency, the team decided to roll the dice on guys like Jerry Tillery and Bilal Nichols, bringing them back, but they failed to bring back Andrew Billings.
Through the first four games of the 2023 NFL season, that looks like a big mistake, as the defensive tackle play has been terrible, and Billings is off to a great start for the Chicago Bears. Billings seems to make a big play on a weekly basis for the Bears, something the Las Vegas Raiders could certainly use up front on defense.
Tillery made another bonehead play against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, pushing Justin Herbert as he went out of bounds and getting ejected on the play. Billings, on the other hand, helped the Bears to a huge victory on Thursday night this week, showing Raider Nation that they let another key player on that side of the ball walk.