The Oakland Raiders have had a busy offseason so far. They were the beneficiary of a big splash trade when they acquired Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tyrell Williams decided to sign with Oakland this offseason which gives Derek Carr more options in the passing game. Off the field, the Raiders were recently selected to appear on HBO's ‘Hard Knocks' this summer.
Jon Gruden received a massive contract to go from the booth back into coaching. His first season in Oakland did not go as planned. The Raiders finished 4-12 and at the bottom of the AFC West. This is a team that had a lot of needs heading into free agency and the draft. The Raiders had three picks in the first round of this year's draft. They addressed needs with each one of those picks. Oakland took Clelin Ferrell with the fourth pick in the draft to try and help their pass rush. Alabama running back Josh Jacobs fell to Oakland at 24 and Jonathan Abrams was the 27th pick of the draft. The Raiders have improved since the end of last season, however, there is still work to be done.
The Raiders need to improve their pass rush. Oakland finished dead last in the league last season with 13 sacks. Yes, 13 sacks in 16 games. This is a number that is beyond bad. Despite adding Ferrell in the draft, their edge rushers are still weak. There are attractive free agents on the board still. Nick Perry is still available, however, the player that Oakland should take a long look at is Derrick Morgan.
Morgan, who turned 30 in January, had a down year in 2018. He recorded just half a sack in 13 games. Morgan has spent every season of his career in Tennessee and has proven to be a reliable player. In 2016 and 2017, Morgan combined to have 16.5 sacks in two seasons. He has 44.5 for his career. There is a chance for Morgan to return to being a reliable player with a change of scenery.
For Oakland, they will enter the season with Ferrell and Arden Key as their starting edge rushers. Key is entering his second season in the NFL while Ferrell has yet to play a snap. Adding Morgan will bring experience to the team as well as depth. This is a low-risk addition for the Raiders. They will be able to add Morgan on a bargain and possibly get a high reward from the signing. Morgan has played 15 or more games five times in his career. If healthy heading into the season, Morgan to the Raiders make sense.
The Raiders addressed their need at wide receiver. They added a talented running back in the draft who can handle the workload. Morris Claiborne is still available if the Raiders decide that they want more help at the cornerback position. With Shane Ray in Baltimore, the Raiders options at edge rusher are becoming slimmer. If there is an option between Perry and Morgan, Oakland should be knocking down Morgan's door.
Follow Us
Subscribe