2. Yannick Ngakoue
Of all the players on this list, Ngakoue has been the most consistent throughout his career. He has put up no less than eight sacks per year and that includes the 2020 season, when he changed teams twice once during the season. Ngakoue would certainly be an upgrade over any of the current in-house talent at the defensive end position.
He would also provide the Raiders with stability at the position for years to come. After all, he’ll only be 26 heading in 2021. It won’t hurt for the Raiders to put their name in the proverbial hat to bring in Ngakoue. Way back in 2019, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report predicted Ngakoue could land a five-year $93 million dollar deal at the end of the 2020 season, this number could quite possibly come true if not be even bigger.
The Raiders certainly won’t be the only team bidding for Ngakoue’s services either. However, if they can somehow manage to swing a deal for him, he would instantly make the defensive front better by leaps and bounds.
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Leonard Williams would be a terrific pick up. Suh? No. The rest? I could go either way. Watt might be too spendy. He brings good pressure inside, which is a necessary fill for the Raiders. I would prefer that the Raiders focus on youth, and coaching that youth up correctly. Collins and Nassib sadly, were a waste of time and money. Especially since Marinelli was there. Was Guenther not scheming to them? I don’t know, but if we as Raiders/Raider Nation are ever going to get the collective monkey off our back, we must build a lasting and deep defensive rotation that is RESILIENT.
Here’s the problem the Raiders have every year with bringing in FAs – will the player coming in be productive and make everyone else around him better or is he only as good as the team around him? Raiders have to look at the defenses that these guys were playing on. In other words, can they change their environment or are they a product of it?
Ferrell is the three down defensive end on this team, not Crosby, who regularly got swallowed up by tackles on running downs (if he didn’t run himself right out of the play). I think Hendricksen, Okwara, or Williams would be great. Ngakoe has red flags all over the place with regards to three teams essentially showing him the door last season. Excuse the spelling on the names.