The Oakland Raiders are making another move. Jon Gruden's team has been active in the second wave of free agency, and now they're signing veteran linebacker Brandon Marshall to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The team just signed running back Isaiah Crowell earlier in the day.
Rapoport writes that the deal is worth “up to” $4.1 million. It's a decent low-risk signing for Gruden. Marshall had made a name for himself with the Denver Broncos the past handful of years, but the Broncos just declined to pick up his 2019 option. A 2012 fifth-round pick out of Nevada, Marshall, spent the early part of his career bouncing on and off of the Jaguars' practice squad.
He then found a permanent home in Denver and won Super Bowl 50 with the team. In a four-year span from 2014 to 2017, Marshall started at least 11 games each season. He struggled with injuries and wasn't as effective last year, appearing in only 11 games and starting seven.
Marshall isn't playing at the level he was when he was a part of the Broncos' record-setting defenses, but he's still a capable run defender. He struggles in pass coverage at times, but Gruden thinks he's right for defensive coordinator Paul Guenther's scheme.
Marshall received average grades from Pro Football Focus last year. He's still only 29, so he should still have something left in the tank. In his last full season in 2017, he had 106 tackles and three sacks. Marshall will join Vontaze Burfict as part of the Raiders' new inside linebacking group. Marshall was set to earn $7 million had the Broncos picked up his option, so this is a pretty significant reduction in pay.
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