Oakland Raiders: Addition of Rodney Hudson a Big Plus

By Khaled Abdallah | Mar 10, 2015

It is not quite the splash signing the fans were hoping for, but the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a deal with former Kansas City Chiefs center Rodney Hudson. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com confirmed the reports early Monday morning that the Raiders and Hudson had agreed on five-year deal worth $44.5 million. Hudson is a name that Raiders fans are familiar with from their two dates a year with the Chiefs but few casual NFL fans know who he is.

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Given his performances in recent years for the Chiefs, perhaps they should know who Hudson is. According to ESPN.com, “Hudson, 25, was graded by Pro Football Focus as best among Chiefs offensive linemen in 2014 and was PFF’s third-rated center in the league.”

Pro Football Focus also ranked Hudson as the 14th-best free agent available, six slots ahead of Raiders offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski. Hudson has also been remarkably durable in his three year career with the Chiefs, starting 32 games in a row and recovering nicely from his broken leg in 2012.

The move for Hudson has essentially cleared the path for Wisniewski to leave Oakland as the club and player have yet to find a common ground in contract negotiations. Wisniewski was a highly touted pick for the Raiders coming out of Penn State in 2011 but has struggled in pass protection in recent years. The Raiders were also the worst rushing team in the 2014 season, averaging just 77.5 yards per game.

Much of that blame can be placed on the shoulders of Maurice Jones Drew and Darren McFadden, who struggled to get anything going last season although the offensive line played its part in those strugle. Contrast that with the Chiefs, who have Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles. Still, Kansas City owns one of the league’s best rushing attacks and averaged 119.9 yards per game this past season.

Nov 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs center Rodney Hudson (61) before the start of the game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With Latavius Murray in the lineup, the Raiders looked like the multi-dimensional offense fans had been hoping for but his inability to stay healthy hurt the team. With Hudson calling the shots, it will be a big help in the development of both Murray and second year quarterback Derek Carr. The Oakland Raiders offensive line was better than many people expected, giving up only 28 sacks – the sixth-fewest in the league in 2014.

With players like rookie left guard Gabe Jackson excelling and free-agent pickup/left tackle Donald Penn perhaps exceeding expectations, the offensive line was actually one of the surprising strengths of the team. Any good general manager or educated football fan knows that winning football teams are built from the inside out. Wide receivers and running backs are worthless without an elite offensive line and the Raiders are making the moves to make that happen.

Oakland had the opposite problem for much of 2014. They had the offensive line necessary to keep their quarterback upright and open holes for the running backs, but lacked the explosive skill position players to take advantage.

Signing a player like Hudson is a signal of intent by general manager Reggie McKenzie. He is showing the NFL and the Raiders’ fanbase that he will be laying the foundation for the team by signing marquee offensive linemen and using high draft picks on the offensive and defensive line.

While many Raiders fans would certainly have preferred players like Ndamukong Suh or Randall Cobb to be the team’s first day free agent signings, McKenzie has decided that he will focus on substance over flash in his signings.

Next: Oakland Raiders Desperately Need Amari Cooper

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