The Las Vegas Raiders currently have enough money to sign veteran contributors if they desire to do so. However, they have refrained from making any meaningful signings after the 2020 NFL Draft.
According to Manish Mehta of New York Daily News, the Jets plan to sign Logan Ryan. On the other hand, Jadeveon Clowney may wait a while before joining a team. Neither of them was linked to the Raiders at any point in the offseason, but the fact they decided against signing either speaks volumes about their front office, their discipline, and how they plan to build the team.
After starting free agency with a bang, the Raiders slowed down and focused on the draft. After infusing the team with talent via those venues, they have mostly limited themselves to signing undrafted free agents and adding camp bodies. They just added Prince Amukamara, but it’s uncertain how much he can contribute at this stage of his career. Other than that, they have stayed pretty much quiet in the signing front.
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It Just Doesn’t Make Sense
Although Ryan or Clowney may have been good options in the first or second wave of free agency, there’s no point in signing either one now. Ryan might’ve come at a discount price and Clowney may not be as expensive as he would’ve been at the peak of free agency. Nonetheless, adding either one of them may have been counterproductive.
The Raiders added plenty of players on both sides of the ball in the offseason. Specifically, they selected a couple cornerbacks in Damon Arnette and Amik Robertson in the draft. Both will need as many reps as they can get in order to get acclimatized to the NFL. Ryan could’ve taken some of those reps away from them. He would’ve probably taken over one starting spot and slowed down the development of the youngsters. At the end, it was smart for the Raiders not to sign him. It will be better to have the rookies go through the growing pains of playing pro football.
There Isn’t Space in the Defensive Line
Even though Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell aren’t rookies, Clowney’s hypothetical signing would hinder their development. Ferrell and Crosby are entering their second year in the league and they’re at a critical point of their growth. Moreover, the Raiders added Carl Nassib earlier so there wouldn’t be enough snaps for all of them to share. There just isn’t space for Clowney with the Silver and Black, and that’s without taking into account his salary demands.
Although Clowney will likely be cheaper than he would’ve been in the dawn of free agency, he won’t sign for the veteran minimum.
After so many years of futility, it’s refreshing to see the Raiders trending upward and following a plan. Signing veteran help after the draft would derail them from achieving their vision.
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