The Los Angeles Chargers have a lot of cap space this offseason but they’ll need to re-sign many contributors. This could present an opportunity for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders’ AFC West rival will have to make tough choices and will need to decide who’ll be part of their long-term plans. This will present an opportunity for Las Vegas to weaken the ‘Bolts’ and make some improvements along the way.
One of the biggest conundrums for the Raiders this offseason will be at wide receiver. They’ll essentially need to decide if Tyrell Williams should stick around and if Nelson Agholor will get a raise. It’s within the realm of possibility that the team could move on from Williams and later lose Agholor to free agency. This would leave them with a need at wide receiver.
Another concern is cornerback. The Raiders have one starter in Trayvon Mullen, who’s their most promising defensive player on the roster. However, the team doesn’t exactly know what they have yet in the 2020 first-round pick, Damon Arnette. By all accounts, the Silver and Black should be looking to add a quality third cornerback. Luckily for them, the Chargers might be losing two of them
Related: Rayshawn Jenkins can help Las Vegas solidify its safety position
The two Chargers that the Raiders should keep an eye on…
Los Angeles will need to re-sign several key players such as tight end Hunter Henry and Michael Davis. So, there’s a chance that a couple of players might have seen their last days as Chargers. These two contributors are Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward and wide receiver Mike Williams.
Before fans scoff at the thought of their team signing a wide receiver, the need could be a possibility. If Agholor’s gone, that would put a lot of pressure on Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards to step up and become the number one and two options. Tight end Darren Waller is technically the number one receiver but you still need speed and dependability and Williams has both. In the last two years, he averaged 20.4 and 15.8 yards per catch. As far as drops, Williams only has seven these last two years, while ‘Nelly’ has nine to his name.
Now, the Chargers can sit on routes with successful four-man pressure.
Casey Hayward with PD pic.twitter.com/ZSsUa6Jedj
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 14, 2020
Hayward was a Pro Bowler from 2016 to 2017 with the Chargers and had another solid outing in 2020 even though he’s 31. He accumulated eight passes defensed, one interception, and 36 tackles. The Raiders need to address their putrid pass defense, and the corner could help tremendously in that department next season.
In 2020, Hayward was targeted 77 times but only surrendered 38 completions and a 49.4 completion percentage. As you can see above, Hayward can succeed in certain coverages but he has to be put in the right situations or he’s susceptible to giving up long plays to the likes of Tyreek Hill.
Let’s keep an eye on what the ‘Bolts’ decide to do with these two, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that the Raiders consider them.
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/Brett Duke