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Oakland Raiders: Close to adding Terrance Knighton?

By Khaled Abdallah

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Fresh off the news of the Oakland Raiders agreeing to sign Kansas City Chiefs center Rodney Hudson to a five year deal, there may be more good news in store for Raider Nation.

Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted on March 9 that the Raiders and Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton were close to agreeing on a deal. Knighton was rumored to be interested in joining former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio in Oakland and there may be some serious weight (no pun intended) to that report.

Having missed out on Ndamukong Suh, who has agreed to a gargantuan deal with the Miami Dolphins, the Raiders are desperate to add some life and talent to their defensive line. The defensive line was patched up last season with some season veterans in Justin Tuck and Antonio Smith but they are a bit long in the tooth.

Smith and Tuck provided excellent leadership and showed flashes of their talent but simply cannot be depended on to perform at a top level for 16 games. Tuck managed a respectable five sacks on the year and Smith added another three but the team as a whole was second to last in the league with just 22.

Knighton is not the sack master from the tackle position that Suh or Tuck are but he can contribute in other ways. Due to his size and ability to draw double teams, Knighton could take a great deal of attention away from linebacker Khalil Mack, who had a banner rookie year. At his age, Tuck was not double teamed and that allowed teams to double and hold Mack who was an absolute nightmare for opposing left tackles.

Knighton can also help the Oakland Raiders’ rush defense that was already a somewhat solid unit in 2014. The Raiders gave up 119.4 yards per game rushing which ranked 22nd in the league. Not quite a doomsday defense but a solid number considering the amount of turnover the Silver and Black had at middle linebacker and their lack of talent on the defensive line.

Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (98) during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In contrast, the Broncos gave up only 79.8 yards per game rushing, second only to the Detroit Lions and their standout defensive line. Some of that can be attributed to teams being forced to pass to keep up with the Peyton Manning-led offense but credit must be given where it is due.

It is hard to quantify the impact that a player like Knighton has in terms of pure statistics. He does not get many tackles and gets even less sacks as an interior lineman. What he does do very well is disrupt the line of scrimmage and draw double teams to allow edge rushers like DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller run wild. The Raiders have a pair of excellent pass rushers in Sio Moore and Mack and drawing any attention away from them will pay dividends for the Raiders defense.

Knighton’s ability to anchor a run defense at 6’3″, 330 pounds is also key to becoming one of the better defensive units in the league. Signing Knighton would be similar to the deal given to Hudson, a move without much flash but with plenty of substance.

Next: Raiders: Signing Rodney Hudson Is The Right Move

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