The Las Vegas Raiders have flown under the radar this offseason with their new general manager and head coach duo of John Spytek and Pete Carroll. However, the team has made several great moves in both the free agency and trade markets.
Not only did Las Vegas acquire a high-end starting quarterback in Geno Smith, but they extended star defensive end Maxx Crosby and re-signed other key members of the defensive line like Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler.
Spytek also made a series of high-value moves in free agency, including the signings of Jeremy Chinn, Elandon Roberts and Raheem Mostert. This team is far from finished making roster moves, and despite the acquisition of Mostert, could swing again for a running back this offseason.
Should Raiders trade for 26-year-old former Pro Bowl RB?
Sportsnaut's Moe Moton pitched a trade idea recently that would bring Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"The Raiders signed Raheem Mostert, but he doesn’t move the needle at 32 years old with an extensive injury history," wrote Moton. "Las Vegas should try to acquire D’Andre Swift from theChicago Bears."
While Swift is just 26 years old and made the Pro Bowl in 2023, Moton provides an intruiging reason why Chicago would entertain the idea of trading him.
"With Ben Johnson as their offensive coordinator, the Detroit Lions traded Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles after one season," Moton wrote. "Now, Johnson is the head coach of the Bears, and he may be open to trading Swift again as he revamps the offense. The versatile running back would be a better complementary piece alongside a rookie than Mostert."
Las Vegas is likely to use at least one draft pick on a rookie running back, with Boise State's Ashton Jeanty being the popular name with the No. 6 overall pick. However, the Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season and will need to revamp the running back room with multiple new players.
Swift, in what many deemed a "down year," still collected 959 rushing yards and six touchdowns, as well as nearly 400 receiving yards. This was all despite the Bears having arguably the worst offensive line in the league.
If the asking price is a late-round pick, the Raiders should absolutely make it happen. It's the least that Ben Johnson could do after the way he used the franchise as leverage this offseason.