The Las Vegas Raiders have plugged a lot of roster holes, but it's tough to tell how much progress they've made.
We always knew that evaluating the offseason progress of the Las Vegas Raiders was going to be a tough task, and the rescinded trade of defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens has only increased the degree of difficulty.
The Raiders spent $292.7 million in free agency, according to Ted Nguyen of the Athletic, and he took a run at assessing their progress to date in a recent piece. That money helped plug some holes, but there are still some that need to be addressed.
The Raiders focused on the offensive line, with their big addition being Tyler Linderbaum, although Las Vegas did end up resetting the center market by paying their new center more than $9 million more than the next-highest paid player, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, according to Nguyen.
The reason for this is that the center is actually more important than the guards in coach Klint Kubiak’s offensive system, the writer added. Linderbaum is considered an outside zone “savant,” and he’ll be making all the line calls for presumptive top pick Fernando Mendoza, unless the Raiders decide to add a veteran quarterback to start the season while Mendoza carries a clipboard.
But the work on the line isn’t done yet. The Raiders offensive line was the worst in football, and they ranked last in average yards before contact per rush. Las Vegas could sign a veteran tackle to compete with D.J. Glaze, but they could also draft a tackle if they like someone they see in the second round.
The most interesting addition in free agency was receiver Jalen Nailor. He was a deep threat with the Minnesota Vikings, but Nailor was also the third option behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Raiders believe they can get much more out of their receiving group with better coaching, so for the moment they’re standing pat beyond adding Nailor.
Defensively, they signed a pair of linebackers. Nakobe Dean is a high-end player when he’s healthy, but he’s had trouble staying on the field, while Quay Walker is a freakish athlete who’s been inconsistent. That’s a lot better than what the Raiders were putting on the field last season at linebacker, so there should be significant improvement.
The one big need going forward is at defensive tackle. The Raiders did re-sign defensive end Malcolm Koonce, who will now be a bookend pass rusher with Crosby if the latter sticks around, but they still need a two-gap defensive tackle in front of Dean to allow him to make plays. Nguyen’s conclusion was that for the first time in a while, you don’t have to squint to see that the Raiders are headed in the right direction.