The Las Vegas Raiders have spent so many seasons among the worst teams in the NFL that it is difficult to sort through all the franchise's mistakes over the years. Whether it be whiffs in the draft, bad roster construction or having the wrong people in power, it's been almost all bad for the Silver and Black.
One of those poor choices was trading away star wide receiver Amari Cooper in his prime. He joined the team as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but they failed to consistently put enough winning pieces around him. This spurred his trade request during the 2018 season.
New head coach Pete Carroll and John Spytek have rectified this move, however, by signing Cooper ahead of the 2025 NFL season. This is a bittersweet reunion for Raider Nation, and they have a chance to do it again with another one of their No. 4 overall picks from a different draft class.
Raiders could reunite with 2019 first-round pick Clelin Ferrell
On Tuesday, amid the entire NFL cutting down its rosters to just 53 players, the Washington Commanders released defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who played in 14 games, starting 10, for the team during the 2024 campaign.
Ferrell was a notorious draft bust for the Raiders, as he was taken with the fourth overall pick in 2019. He managed just 10.0 sacks in four seasons with the Silver and Black before not being re-signed and enjoying brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Commanders.
To make matters worse, he was taken just ahead of eventual All-Pro or Pro Bowl players like Devin White, Josh Hines-Allen, Rashan Gary and T.J. Hockenson. While certainly a failure of a top-five pick, Ferrell might not be the worst signing as a cheap free agent addition.
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Las Vegas has a good trio of edge rushers in Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson, but they could use more help. Wilson is expected to rotate in on the interior more this season, and Charles Snowden is also facing a potential suspension for part of the 2025 campaign.
This could open the window for a reunion with Ferrell in Las Vegas, as the new leadership has clearly proven that they do not mind giving second chances to Raiders from past regimes. Carroll and Spytek just added edge rusher Brennan Jackson via waivers, but he'll primarily be a special teams piece this season.
Over the last two years, Ferrell has recorded 7.0 sacks, 54 tackles, including 10 for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. He wouldn't be a star in Las Vegas, but he may be a more valuable end-of-roster piece than Snowden.
Plus, Ferrell would not cost much, and he is still just 28 years old. So, a revival under defensive line coach Rob Leonard, a known savant for developing talent, is not out of the question either. This may feel like drumming back up too much of what were some bad Raiders teams, but a Ferrell reunion actually makes some sense at the right price.