With James Bradberry going to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Las Vegas Raiders missed out on improving their secondary. However, acquiring a right tackle to shore up the Raiders’ offensive line is still possible.
The only way that the Raiders were going to really have a shot at landing Bradberry was once the June 2nd cuts took place. At that point, the books would open up with some financial flexibility once several contracts came off.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, as the Eagles moved in and grabbed arguably the best defensive free agent available. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Bradberry signed a one-year deal worth up to $10 million.
So now what for the Raiders?
Many signs point to the team being happy with their current roster as currently constructed. Nevertheless, the Raiders still have a pressing need at right tackle that hasn’t really been addressed. Or rather, the solutions that are in place don’t seem to be appeasing fans. The first option is Alex Leatherwood moving back to his original position when he started his rookie campaign. The second is a platoon of Brandon Parker and Jermaine Eluemunor handling duties at right tackle. Going after Williams makes too much sense given these scenarios.
Williams garnered a 72.4 pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus last season, which is better than Leatherwood’s 62.1 and Parker’s 56.8. Even if you don’t trust PFF grades all that much, the games speak for themselves. Leatherwood is better suited as a right guard and Parker should be a rotational/depth piece at best, not someone expected to hold down a position for an extended period of time. Obviously, Williams isn’t a long-term answer either. Instead, the Raiders could buy themselves another year until the 2023 NFL Draft when they select a right tackle in the first round.
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