The bad: The Raiders Neglecting the safety position
On one hand, it was great to see the Raiders bolster their defensive line. Adding someone like defensive end Yannick Ngakoue should have an impact right out of the gate. However, ignoring the safety position really makes you scratch your head. Former starter Erik Harris departed to Atlanta. The only safety contracted to this point has been Dallin “COVID is a Hoax” Leavitt. You should have about as much faith in him to cover the backend of the secondary as you should in him to cover his face in crowded areas without the threat of a hefty fine.
Keep in mind that the free-agent market wasn’t even unreasonable this year. Sure, big-ticket safety John Johnson got a much-deserved payday, but there were pretty reasonable deals available. Many within Raider Nation had their eyes on former Minnesota Viking Anthony Harris before he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for a whopping one-year $5 million deal. What about Jaquiski Tartt? He returned to the Niners on a one-year deal as well.
And while Harris moving on isn’t a very large blow in a vacuum, at this point, his absence looks less than desirable without an obvious replacement in the fold, especially in the heavy Cover 3 scheme run by Gus Bradley.
On the other hand, you could argue that Las Vegas will wait until free agency to fix the safety position.
“Can’t the Raiders just spend the 17th pick on a prospect like Trevon Moehring?”
Yes, this made sense before free agency started…
[tps_title]Here comes the ugly[/tps_title]