Written By: Jake Leicht
The Oakland Raiders struggled under Jon Gruden in his first season back with the franchise. The season began to unravel before it even started after the Raiders traded All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears for a slew of early round draft picks. Oakland’s defense was putrid, and they had the most ineffective pass rush in the league in 2018. The offense wasn’t much better. Derek Carr was okay, but the lack of weapons around him hurt his overall production. The Raiders are in complete rebuild mode, and they will need to completely overhaul the roster before they can compete in the AFC West.
Available Salary Cap Space- $71.2 Million
Free Agents
UFA
Rashaan Melvin- Cornerback
Marshawn Lynch- Running Back
Jared Cook- Tight End
Marcus Gilchrist- Strong Safety
Reggie Nelson- Free Safety
Johnathan Hankins- Defensive Tackle
Clinton McDonald- Defensive Tackle
Brandon Lafell- Wide Receiver
Doug Martin- Running Back
Frostee Rucker- Defensive End
Mike Nugent- Kicker
Ahtyba Rubin- Defensive Tackle
Leon Hall- Cornerback
Dwayne Harris- Wide Receiver
Bene Benwikere- Cornerback
Kony Ealy- Defensive End
Jacquies Smith- Outside Linebacker
Chaz Green- Offensive Tackle
T.J. Clemmings- Offensive Tackle
Jon Feliciano- Offensive Tackle
Dexter McDonald- Cornerback
Denzell Good- Right Tackle
RFA
Martavis Bryant- Wide Receiver
Erik Harris- Safety
Shilique Calhoun- Defensive End
Daryl Worley- Cornerback
Jalen Richard- Running Back
ERFA
Ternt Sieg- Long Snapper
Tevin Mitchel- Cornerback
Jason Cabinda- Linebacker
Daniel Carlson- Kicker
Marcell Ateman- Wide Receiver
Justin Murray- Offensive Tackle
Potential Cap Casualties (Bold = Dead Money, Italics = Cap Gain)
Donald Penn- Right Tackle ($2.75 mill) ($4.85 mill)
Jordy Nelson- Wide Receiver ($1.8 mill) ($3.6 mill)
A.J. McCarron- Quarterback ($0) ($5 mill)
Derek Carrier- Tight End ($0) ($1.7 mill)
Seth Roberts- Wide Receiver ($0) ($4.65 mill)
Nathan Peterman- Quarterback ($0) ($645,000)
*All figures for cap purposes are taken as pre-June 1st, unless otherwise stated. All cap figures courtesy of Overthecap.com, unless otherwise stated*
Team Needs
Pass Rusher
Offensive Skill Positions
Cornerback
Linebacker
Safety
Nearly everything!
Draft pick Allotment
1st Round #4 (4)
1st Round #24 (24)
1st Round #27 (27)
2nd Round #3 (35)
3rd Round #2 (66)
4th Round #4 (100)
5th Round #3 (131)
6th Round #24 (184)
7th Round #4 (196)
7th Round #23 (218)
*Compensatory Pick Projection courtesy of Nick Korte of Overthecap.com
Mock Offseason
Players Re-signed
Johnathan Hankins- Defensive Tackle
Kony Ealy- Defensive End
T.J. Clemmings- Offensive Tackle
Shilique Calhoun- Defensive End
Marcell Ateman- Wide Receiver
Daryl Worley- Cornerback
Cap Casualties
Donald Penn- Right Tackle ($2.75 mill) ($4.85 mill)
Jordy Nelson- Wide Receiver ($1.8 mill) ($3.6 mill)
Derek Carrier- Tight End ($0) ($1.7 mill)
Seth Roberts- Wide Receiver ($0) ($4.65 mill)
Trade
Oakland gets: 1st Rounder (7th overall) and Leonard Fournette
Jacksonville gets: Derek Carr and a 2019 6th Rounder
Oakland gets: 1st Rounder (15th overall), 2nd Rounder, and a 2020 2nd and 3rd Rounder
Washington gets: 1st Rounder (4th overall)
Free Agent Targets
Grady Jarrett- Defensive Tackle (Falcons)
Grady Jarrett is one of the best defensive free agents on the market this year, and the Oakland Raiders could use a nice defensive tackle to play alongside Maurice Hurst. Jarrett would help solidify the Raiders’ previously putrid run defense.
Golden Tate- Wide Receiver (Eagles)
At first glance, Tate might not seem like an ideal fit for the Raiders. The fact is that Oakland needs a threat that can get open. Their receiving corps was ineffective in short yardage situations last year.
Tevin Coleman- Running Back (Falcons)
In this mock offseason, the Raiders will have acquired Leonard Fournette. The former Jacksonville Jaguar has immense talent, but he is often injured. Adding Coleman and Fournette would give the Raiders one of the best 1, 2 punches in the NFL.
Mock Draft
1st Round (Pick 7): Rashan Gary, Edge Rusher (Michigan)
1st Round (Pick 15): Greedy Williams, Cornerback (LSU)
1st Round (Pick 24): N’Keal Harry, Wide Receiver (Arizona State)
1st Round (Pick 27): Devin Bush, Linebacker (Michigan)
2nd Round: Taylor Rapp, Safety (Washington)
2nd Round: Jeffery Simmons, Defensive Tackle (Texas A&M)
3rd Round: Jace Sternberger, Tight End (Texas A&M)
4th Round: Hjalte Froholdt, Guard (Arkansas)
5th Round: Iman Marshall, Cornerback (USC)
7th Round: Easton Stick, Quarterback (North Dakota State)
7th Round: Bryce Love, Running Back (Stanford)
Keep a lookout for more offseason blueprints as we get closer to the start of the new league year!