Oakland Raiders to host Cullen Jenkins

Free agent defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins is heavily coveted on the market, and his west coast trip will continue tomorrow. After visiting the Seattle Seahawks yesterday and the San Francisco 49ers today, Jenkins will stick around in the Bay Area tomorrow and visit the Oakland Raiders. This news comes to us from one of the most reliable insiders in Ian Rappoport, who also adds that Jenkins’s visit with the Seahawks “went well”.

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Jenkins is a 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT and would be a great pick-up for either one of those three teams, but I think he would fill the biggest need for the Raiders out of those teams. The Raiders could really use another pass rushing force, and Jenkins would provide just that. The veteran DL specializes in pushing the pocket and getting after the quarterback, and Jenkins is still one of the best interior pass rushers in the game today.

The Seahawks could always use even more talent on their defensive line, while the San Francisco 49ers are looking to replace some talent on the line as well. I think Jenkins is a better fit as a 3-4 DE, so that helps the 49ers in that angle. The Niners want to keep young DL Ricky Jean-Francois and like his potential as a pass rusher, but Jenkins is much better in that regard even if he offers less upside due to his age. The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are the two teams Jenkins used to play for, and it is interesting to note that they are the two teams expected to go after Jean-Francois the hardest.

Since the Seahawks and 49ers are two elite teams while the Raiders are far from elite, it sounds like Oakland will have to pay significantly more money than the other two. On the bright side, they will also be able to offer up Cullen Jenkins the most playing time and would be more willing to spend bigger money on Jenkins due to their situation at DT.

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