The Las Vegas Raiders head into the offseason with plenty of needs and holes to fill. 18 of their players are set to become free agents and they may not be able to bring most of them back. However, they must find a way to fortify their roster if they want to finish better than 8-8 in 2021. They might need to go bargain shopping and signing safety Jaquiski Tartt may not be cost-prohibitive.
Jaquiski Tartt could give the Raiders’ safety room a boost
Originally a second-round draft selection in 2015, Tartt has been a key cog in the San Francisco 49ers defense. In the last two seasons, the Samford product has logged 54 total tackles, six passes defensed, one interception, and one forced fumble.
It’s true Tartt has never started a full 16-game season and has missed 28 games in the last four seasons. Nevertheless, ’29’ has not lost his starting job and has seen the field whenever he’s healthy. He certainly carries injury red flags, but he could fortify the Raiders’ secondary.
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Why it makes sense to bring in Jaquiski Tartt
The Raiders’ defense ranked 30th in points allowed last season. In 2021, they have just six draft picks. This will hinder their ability to fix their defense in the selection meeting. Due to their finite amount of draft selections, they may need to resort to free agency.
Las Vegas is currently $7 million over the cap and will have to make a few cuts to get out of the red. Even if they get back in cap shape, their ability to sign impact free agents will be limited. That doesn’t mean they won’t be able to add a few playmakers though. After all, plenty of talented players will hit the open market, they just need to have a selective approach to the process.
The Silver and Black is entering Year 4 of the ‘Jon Gruden’ era. They haven’t won’t more than eight games in the last three years. If they want to change that, they need to fix their defense at last. Signing Tartt could be a step in the right direction.
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