MODS PLEASE LOCK

[raider5]

So if Marshawn don't come back, we're gonna have Doug Martin, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard?

They're all basically the same player

 

[laker4lifeman]

We have 11 picks this year we will for sure draft one and we still have Elijah Hood from last year.

 

[HNL HI]

yall like Malcolm Butler?

 

[albooboo]

yall like Malcolm Butler?

Pass on butler.

 

[njavier03]

So if Marshawn don't come back, we're gonna have Doug Martin, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard?

They're all basically the same player

Idk about ALL 4 of them being the same, but having Washington, Richard, and Martin would be redundant. I’d take Martin over Washington though. He has no fakes or lateral movement. We need a combo of a power back and shifty back. Marshawn is kinda both, but we need Darren Sproles type of backup.

I forgot that Sherman and Crab had beef. Let’s get Trumaine Johnson though. Him, a healthy Conley, and Carrie are a decent core. I’d like to draft another DB though.

 

[Deleted member 185039]

If we can get depth and starters across the board at corner we can solve a lot of our problems up front and in the middle. I'm all for drafting defense.

 

[sohi 23]

I want young players on defense man. Free agents on offense.

 

[Kingof402]

We absolutely have to land trumaine Johnson. Draft a LB at 10, draft a nickel corner in the 2nd, DL in the 3rd get a RB or slot receiver in the 4th then defensive depth in the later rounds. We need young fast hungry smart defensive players in this draft

 

[HNL HI]

feel like DRC gonna be a RAIDER

 

[kayzeezay]

RB with the 1st pick and the rest on defense

 

[raider5]

feel like DRC gonna be a RAIDER

Yea I'm in on DRC being a Raider. Make it happen Reggie.

 

[njavier03]

DRC?

 

[HNL HI]

DRC?

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

 

[njavier03]

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

I was hoping y’all weren’t gonna say that. I’d rather pay Trumaine than DRC. Well, that depends on how much each of them are asking for. DRC for the low is cool, but I’d rather pay Trumaine more due to his age.

 

[raider5]

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders free agency preview: Gruden's pushing the cart, what groceries will he add?

By Vic Tafur 2h ago

When Bill Parcells left the Patriots after the 1996 season, the coach famously said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”

Well, with free agency unofficially starting Monday — teams can tamper, or talk to players, but not start signing them until Wednesday — there is no question new Raiders coach Jon Gruden is pushing the shopping the cart.

He is making $10 million a season … Gruden's cart has 22-inch diamond-encrusted rims.

But general manager Reggie McKenzie is still heavily involved. He is the one that stocked this kitchen and thanks to the salary cap and the way the league works, Gruden can’t just dump everything into the trash and start over with a dozen or so players.

The Raiders are somewhere in between 2016’s 12-4 record and last season’s 6-10 mark. Just adding some Gruden seasoning isn’t going to cut it.

“We need depth in some areas,” McKenzie said at the NFL scouting combine recently. “We need starters in some areas. What we have, it’s like last year. We have a lot of players who are free agents, so if we can’t re-sign them, we’re going to have to replace them. … We have a lot of holes to kind of fill in.”

So far, the Raiders have cut cornerback David Amerson and re-signed defensive tackle Justin Ellis, and have roughly $15.8 million available in cap space. They are negotiating with Khalil Mack on a long-term deal and can still cut cornerback Sean Smith, so that number can change quickly, not to mention possible restructures or pay cuts (Marshawn Lynch, Michael Crabtree and Bruce Irvin.)

Here is a look at the shopping list, including specific free agents Gruden and McKenzie may be targeting:

Cornerback
This should not be a surprise, as the Raiders only have four cornerbacks on the roster, and that includes Smith, who has legal issues and a non-guaranteed $8.25 million salary. Last year's first-round pick Gareon Conley is a projected starter, while Dexter McDonald and Antonio Hamilton are the other two, and neither is close to being a lock to make the roster.

Former Seahawks Richard Sherman told ESPN that the Raiders were interested before he agreed to a three-year deal with the 49ers on Saturday.

Former Ram Trumaine Johnson is often mentioned as a prime candidate to come to Oakland, but the volume and regularity of those reports indicate that’s coming more from his agent than from the team. We’ll see. The 6-foot-2 Johnson, a third-round pick in 2012, has 18 career interceptions and we can see him going to the Packers. He will get more than the three years and $39 million that Sherman did.

Gruden and new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther are tight with Jon’s brother, Washington coach Jay Gruden, and he seems sad that his team can probably not afford to keep cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Breeland, 26, is good in coverage but a poor tackler.

Gruden really respects Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and it’s hard to think he would want to give a lot of money to a guy (Malcolm Butler) whom Belichick benched in the Super Bowl. The Eagles’ Patrick Robinson and Bears’ Prince Amukamara seem like better bangs for the buck, and the Raiders could also re-sign TJ Carrie.

Defensive line
The Jets’ Muhammad Wilkerson was one of the better defensive tackles in the league before mailing it in the last two seasons. He is only 28 years old and the Raiders are interested. They hope to talk with him — Wilkerson has already met with the Chiefs, Packers and Saints — and gauge if the price and his commitment seem workable.

Former Chief and Falcon Dontari Poe could also be in play, and Star Lotulelei is also on the market. The Raiders did just re-sign Ellis, so they are looking more for a pass-rushing push than a space eater against the run. McKenzie said he would like to re-sign Denico Autry to help with that as well.

Former Dolphins and Seahawks pass rusher Dion Jordan seems like a very good fit with the Raiders. The former first-round pick has given up drinking and had four sacks in five games last year after flaming out in Miami. Jordan is tight with new offensive line coach Tom Cable and the Raiders desperately need another pass rusher.

(But not linebacker: All signs point to the Raiders re-signing NaVorro Bowman. The former 49er was solid in 10 games in Oakland last year and Guenther seems genuinely excited about him, so we’re going to say McKenzie can address this position in the draft or post-draft free agency.)

Wide receiver
Gruden says he wants Crabtree back and McKenzie says the veteran is “in the plans,” and, really, $7.5 million is not bad considering the Browns are paying Jarvis Landry more than twice that. Amari Cooper should be one of the top-10 receivers in the game, with some Gruden seasoning, and it’s hard to see the Raiders giving Seth Roberts $2 million to walk away, even after a disappointing season.

But the Raiders still need another receiver to push or replace Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson. Former Jaguar Allen Robinson is probably too expensive, while Sammy Watkins seems like an unnecessary roll of the dice. Former Seahawk Paul Richardson had six touchdowns last year, can open the top off of a defense and should not give McKenzie too much sticker shock.

Running back
Gruden has always liked veteran running backs, and he is exploring all options — for life with or without Lynch. He has no idea what he has with returning 5-8 backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington — who does? — and met with 5-9 former Buccaneers back Doug Martin last week.

If Lynch doesn’t come back, one has to think former 49er Carlos Hyde is an option. Same with former Cowboy and Titan DeMarco Murray, who has some tread on his tires but McKenzie was once very fond of. It's also an extremely deep draft at running back, so there is no reason to get desperate here.

Gruden was said to have come away impressed from his meeting with Martin — who has averaged 2.9 yards a carry the last two seasons — and that reminded us of a story we heard at the recent combine.

Gruden has a very engaging personality, and one person that knows him well said every potential draft pick will leave a meeting with him thinking that Gruden loves him. And most of them will be shaking their heads in disbelief after the draft, wondering what happened.

The same goes for free agency, only now you factor in the money and that can change a team’s — and Gruden's — opinion of a player quickly.

 

[raider5]

 

[njavier03]

Bye SS

 

[albooboo]

 

[sohi 23]

Holy ****. A year of jail????

He played well to end the year too that's crazy.

 

[HNL HI]

I was hoping y’all weren’t gonna say that. I’d rather pay Trumaine than DRC. Well, that depends on how much each of them are asking for. DRC for the low is cool, but I’d rather pay Trumaine more due to his age.

I don't know I just have a feeling based on how Reggie targets free agents.


We better keep Autry tho

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

I don't know I just have a feeling based on how Reggie targets free agents.


We better keep Autry tho

Autry is gone.

 

[HNL HI]

Autry is gone.

shut up

 

[sohi 23]

Feels like they chose Jelly over Autry.

Wonder how the upcoming Mack extension will effect free agency.

 

[albooboo]

Both Ellis and Autry were given the same contracts. Ellis signed first.


Getting Mack an extension will open up some more cap space.