Oakland Raiders: Reggie Nelson Could Complete Secondary Of Mercenaries
By Jim Vickers
If the Oakland Raiders sign Reggie Nelson or another free agent starting safety, they would field a starting secondary comprised strictly of free agents.
Perhaps general manner Reggie McKenzie has faced the reality that it’s unlikely he’ll nab a starting safety selecting 14th in the upcoming draft. Or maybe he’s throwing in the towel due to recent draft picks not developing in the defensive backfield. The notion runs contrary to the Oakland Raiders long and storied tradition of producing legendary and Hall of Fame defensive backs.
Either way, the Raiders will go into battle with a unit of hired guns this season. But regardless of how they arrived, the projected starters look pretty darn good.
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Recently signed free-agent cornerback Sean Smith has been an excellent player for seven seasons, the first four with the Miami Dolphins and the last three years with the Kansas City Chiefs. Cornerback David Amerson was heralded as Pro Football Focus’ Most Improved Player (as documented by Chris Phillips) last season after being cut by Washington. Surprisingly, Amerson may be the stud of the bunch, posting four interceptions while totaling 25 passes defensed.
Nate Allen had a respectable start to 2015, until injury cut his season short. At 32, Nelson had the best statistical season of his nine-year NFL career. He tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions and led the league with 10 total takeaways. The one-time Jacksonville Jaguars standout totaled 50 tackles and 14 passes defensed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015, his sixth year with the franchise.
While these soldiers of fortune could easily pull together as a formidable band of ball hawks, where are all the draft picks?
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Since McKenzie took the helm, there has been diminishing draft talent in what was once a downright cocky tradition of swaggering players, such as Lester “The Molester” Hayes, George Atkinson, Jack Tatum, among others. Now the Raiders could field a starting secondary comprised of four players they did not draft for the first time in 50 years.
In 2013, McKenzie had his first opportunity to make an impact through the draft. What many thought was a clever maneuver to trade back and select D.J. Hayden has been a minor disaster. Hayden has been a weak link and a prime target for opposing quarterbacks. At the time Oakland drafted Hayden, they passed on tremendous talents that included now three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long and 2015 Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant. But they did bring back veteran Charles Woodson.
Oakland’s 2014 secondary consisted of three free agents: Tracy Porter, Mike Jenkins, Brandian Ross. This past season, the inconsistent play of Hayden continued while 2014 Oakland draftees T.J. Carrie and Keith McGill were repeatedly exposed. In 2015, the Silver and Black finished 26th in the league in pass defense despite the pass-rushing exploits of All-Pro Khalil Mack, who finished second in the NFL with 15 sacks.
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The question remains, can McKenzie figure out how to draft top-tier defensive back talent, or will Oakland begin a new tradition of defensive backs for hire? In any case, the general manager hopes that this combination of veteran ball-hawks will lead to big things for a franchise starving for a winning season.