Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler isn’t resting on his laurels; he’s just bolstered the tackle position. Foregoing any of the “big-name” options available via free agency, he opted to revisit the New England Patriots’ pipeline. This time they acquired Justin Herron, likely in the hopes of developing him into a quality rotational piece.
Justin Herron was a reserve tackle in New England, someone many #Raiders personnel are familiar with. He also has two years left on his contract, and Las Vegas can work to develop him. https://t.co/J9w12Iwbq6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 21, 2022Â
As confirmed by NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Raiders and Patriots have agreed to flip picks in 204. In return, the Raiders get themselves a tackle. As Rapoport points out, the current Raiders coaching staff is highly familiar with Herron, and with two years left on his current deal, it’s likely they’ll work to develop him further. Herron was originally a sixth-round selection out of Wake Forest.
Breaking Raiders News: What does Justin Herron bring to the table?
Naturally, Raider Nation wants to know what this trade means. Fans are highly irritated with the fact that head coach Josh McDaniels continues to rotate his offensive line. Essentially, refusing to commit to a starting five. However, that could be out of necessity due to the quality of linemen he currently has. Then again, he had a similar track record as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. As far as Herron goes, he has 10 starts under his belt from 2020–2021. All in all, he’s recorded 745 offensive snaps in his NFL career. Herron has the right size and weight at 6’5″ and 305 pounds, and his strength stood out during his workout at the NFL Combine (27 reps).
According to Pro Football Focus, Herron recorded average grades in the run-blocking department in 2020 and 2021 of 61.0 and 62.9, respectively. It goes without saying, Herron will need more refinement, so the likelihood of him instantly translating into the Raiders’ rotation could be a stretch. Unless McDaniels’ familiarity warrants immediate playing time.
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*Top Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sports Wire via Getty Images
