Middlekauff: How the Raiders can reload this offseason — sign Butler, draft a speedy LB
By John Middlekauff 8 hours ago
The New York Giants certainly can make a case for themselves as the NFL’s most underachieving team. But I’d argue that, with their injuries, the Giants are not on the level of the Raiders. The 2017 season has to be one of the disappointing in franchise history.
It was an offseason of turmoil and nomadic leadership, with a roster poised to make a Super Bowl run. And the hype wasn’t fake: There was legitimate substance behind it. This team was stacked with talent and just didn't get it done. The simple reality is that it’s now all about 2018. This season is over.
The Raiders are looking a 6-10 finish directly in the face, and we have no clue what owner Mark Davis will do about it.
He is coming to a unique crossroads as an owner. I’ve laid out
the guys I would go after to coach this team, but who knows if Davis has the money? Or if any of these men would be interested in coming to the Raiders, who aren't exactly a bastion of stability right now. It's no lock they could even land a coach better than Jack Del Rio on the open market.
Regardless of what happens with the coach, the roster still has core pieces in place. The quarterback is set, the franchise defensive player will be paid soon and the offensive line is all locked up for years to come. But if the Raiders want to get back to relevancy in 2018, it’s clear they need some players now on the roster to improve and they need to make some key additions. That being said, this team could bounce back fast.
Let's take a look at how that would be possible.
Young Raiders who need to step up
* Rookie defensive backs Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu: The Raiders' first two picks in the 2017 draft were a complete disaster. They played a total of 126 snaps due to injuries. To put this into perspective, NaVorro Bowman has played 507 snaps with the Raiders, and he signed in mid-October.
They drafted both of these guys to be impact players and neither made a dent. The Raiders will need Conley to be a starting corner in 2018. No questions asked. He has to get healthy and start. That’s what is expected when you get drafted in the first round. But the Raiders also need him to be an impact player. He showed flashes in Week 2 against the Jets, but it’s really impossible to judge him based on this year. Conley was a premium prospect for a reason, though. The Raiders just need to see it in 2018.
Melifonwu needs to carve out a role on this team. I’m not sure he’ll have the range to be a starting free safety, but he should be able to cover tight ends. Clearly, the Raiders can’t cover that position to save their life and they drafted him to solve that issue. This defense desperately needs him to contribute next season in, at minimum, a complementary defensive role.
* Safety Karl Joseph: We know he can tackle; he is second on the team with 65, according to Pro Football Focus. But the question is, can he cover? Right now he is a major liability in the pass game. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 72nd safety against the pass. That’s not good. While Joseph will always be limited by his size, he is an instinctive player and should not be as consistently lost playing the football in the air as he is.
He’ll never be an Earl Thomas-type ball-hawk, but he should be much more functional. Quarterbacks and offensive coordinators look to isolate him. That is a problem. The Raiders need him to improve in this area badly. All three of these defensive backs, especially Joseph and Conley, must be difference makers in 2018.
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Receiver Amari Cooper: If you want to write this guy off after one bad season, be my guest. But I promise you, I won’t be jumping off the bandwagon. He is just too talented to give up on after a bad stretch of football, though there are areas he must improve on to reach his potential.
Cooper leads the league in drops with 10, despite missing multiple games. That is a problem and is not acceptable for an elite talent. Cooper is not a Terrell Owens-type player who can afford to drop balls and still dominate. His calling card is route-running, not breaking tackles, so catching the football is imperative. He also needs to be more aggressive high-pointing the football in traffic. He has good ball skills and is an excellent athlete. He should not consistently lose 50-50 balls. This is the biggest offseason of Cooper's life. But he’s only 23 years old and he showed against Kansas City in mid-October that the game-changer still lives.
Free agents
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Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler: I would expect the Raiders to release both Sean Smith and David Amerson this offseason, which would leave Conley as one starting corner and put them in the market for the other. Cutting these two veterans would free up more than $14 million in cap space. In this scenario, the Raiders would be desperate for a veteran corner, and Butler would be the perfect fit. He comes from a wining culture, is a proven winner coming off a poor year by his standards, and is looking to prove himself outside of New England.
Even in a down year, Butler has nine pass breakups, three more than any Raiders corner. He also has two interceptions in 2017, eight in his four-year career. The guy can play and the Raiders can afford to pay him around $10 million-plus per year with the freed up capitol from Amerson and Smith. This signing makes too much sense.
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Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson: The highly paid former superstar who's had disciplinary issues is almost certain to be released this offseason after being left home against the Miami Dolphins Sunday. He's almost untradable due to his $9 million cap hit, so once he's released he’ll be a free agent coming off the worst season of his career. That means he will be cheap.
General manager Reggie McKenzie could sign Wilkerson for a one-year career-rejuvenation deal, a little like he did with Michael Crabtree in 2015. Wilkerson would give the Raiders a needed presence inside, and he could be kept in check with Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack surrounding him. It's hard to act like an idiot when your team's two best defensive players line up right next to you. While this move would be risky, it could pay huge dividends at a discounted price.
Draft
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Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith: It looks like the Raiders made a pretty big mistake passing on Reuben Foster last draft. But McKenzie might be able to make up for it this offseason, especially if the Raiders lose the last two games of the year. They would be in a position to fill a need for a speedy/rangy middle linebacker.
While Bowman has done an admirable job, his lack of play-speed affects the entire defense, and he is a liability in the passing game. Bowman is also a free agent, so there's no guarantee he’ll even be back. Smith would be exactly what the Raiders have been looking for — and what we see each week with the 49ers and Foster. The Raiders are desperate for a playmaking linebacker. They need this badly:
John Middlekauff
✔@JohnMiddlekauff
That's how you play downhill at MLBer
2:03 PM - Dec 17, 2017
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Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown: Donald Penn will miss his first regular season game since 2007 this week as he undergoes foot surgery. He'll also be 35 heading into next season. It’s time to start thinking about the future at offensive tackle.
Brown is considered the best tackle in the draft by many scouts I've spoken with, and he fits the power culture the Raiders desire in the position. He could play right tackle next year and transition to the left side in 2019. While drafting offensive lineman in the first round is not the sexiest move, it’s usually how the best teams solidify the most important unit, beside quarterback, on the team. If Smith is off the board by the time the Raiders pick, Brown would make a lot of sense.
