Oakland Raiders Free Agency: Rating The Moves So Far

Malcolm Smith

Jan 19, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Malcolm Smith (53) celebrates with free safety Earl Thomas (29) and strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) after intercepting a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

Malcolm Smith enjoyed the highlight of his career, and possibly his life, in the two biggest games of his short career. He first intercepted Richard Sherman’s famous tip of Colin Kaepernick’s pass to Michael Crabtree of the 2013 NFC Championship game.

He then followed up that moment with a fumble recovery, nine tackles, and a pick-six of Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl to earn himself MVP honors. The honor could have gone to the entire Seahawks defense but it was Smith who got the free trip to Disney World. At the time Smith was a backup to one of the best linebacking corps in the league and he continued in that role after his MVP performance.

In 2014, Smith played in all 16 games for Seattle but started 5 of them and totalled 105 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles,  and two interceptions. Excellent numbers for a rotational player coming off the bench. At 6’0″, 225lbs with 4.44 speed, Smith is an excellent cover linebacker who has the speed to stay with running backs out of the backfield and tight ends up the seam.

His role is unclear as the Raiders have the incumbent Sio Moore in Smith’s position, but Moore is coming off season-ending hip surgery and his status is unclear. Smith is also familiar with defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and his speed and athleticism can pay dividends for the Raiders defense. He is little more than a depth signing at this point but considering the Raiders’ lack of depth at the linebacker position it is a solid acquisition.

Rating: 6/10

Next: Curtis Lofton