The Pittsburgh Steelers could be parting ways with many solid contributors, and the Las Vegas Raiders could poach a few of them.
There are many roster deficiencies that the Silver and Black will have to address this offseason and the free agency period will present some interesting possibilities to help this problem. The Raiders might be able to snag some talent away from Pittsburgh if they decide a few of their players are too expensive.
The Raiders themselves will have to make some tough decisions regarding their roster. Nevertheless, if the price tag is right, there’s a couple of potential cap casualties that Las Vegas could use. Guard David DeCastro could help a Raiders offensive line decimated by injury in 2020. On defense, cornerback Joe Haden could help add quality veteran depth to a rather inexperienced unit for Las Vegas.
Related: Here’s How Raiders Can Fix Offensive Line Woes In Free Agency
DeCastro would provide depth at guard
The Raiders could potentially lose Richie Incognito. They also need to decide whether they will re-sign Denzell Good this offseason. If the team were to pick up DeCastro, he’d be a right guard behind Gabe Jackson, assuming he’s still a Raider in 2021. Therefore, Good could take over left guard permanently, considering Incognito doesn’t return, and John Simpson could serve as his backup. If the Raiders move on from Trent Brown, they would surely replace him with a rookie or solid free agent. So, this means the unit would be in solid shape for the 2021 season.
For those of you wondering if DeCastro would be worth an investment, the answer is yes, considering he’s excelled in pass protection. the All-Pro guard has started 29 regular-season games these last two years, posting Pro Football Focus grades of 79.5 and 82.7, respectively. If healthy, and that’s a big if considering last year’s knee injury, he’d be worth the potential investment.
Haden can benefit inexperienced Raiders secondary
Trayvon Mullen is easily the most promising player on the Raiders defense right now, but that’s far from enough. Damon Arnette could benefit from that change at defensive coordinator and the safety position might get a youth infusion. However, Haden, a three-time Pro Bowler, could be a starter on this team. He could easily man the outside for the Silver and Black despite being 32 years old. The Raiders need a boost in their pass defense in 2021 and Haden can provide it.
His numbers over the past two years in coverage are an instant upgrade over anyone the Raiders have fielded in that same time span. He was targeted 161 times and didn’t surrender more than 53.7 percent of them during that stretch. Haden came away with seven interceptions and 29 passes defensed. Cutting ties with someone of Haden’s abilities would encapsulate how this year’s cap is affecting NFL teams. If Raiders brass can restructure the roster and cut a lot of dead weight, investing in a veteran like Haden would be a nice change.
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*Top Photo: John Kuntz/cleveland.com
