Oakland Raiders: Justin Tuck Retirement Equals Depth Issue

On Monday, Justin Tuck announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.

Tuck has decided to hang up his cleats after a successful career in the NFL, as he will leave with 11 years played. He will also leave with 2 Super Bowl rings under his belt with the New York Giants; a big accomplishment in which he played  key roles in both championship games. He will also leave the Oakland Raiders with depth concerns at yet another position, a common theme so far for the Raiders in 2016.

While replacing Tuck on the defensive line won’t be the biggest concern for Oakland in 2016, the fact that the Raiders will lose his production and have to replace it with a potentially unproven rookie or free agent should give all Oakland fans pause. This is in addition already to the loss of Charles Woodson at safety, a player coming off of a Pro Bowl season and, like Tuck, a stalwart on defense. The loss of these two guys alone will be hard to replace.

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Add the loss of troubled pass rusher Aldon Smith to list, who has been suspended by the NFL until most likely at least November of 2016, and you start to see just how different this Raider defense will look in 2016. This isn’t even taking into account the free agents to be like linebacker Benson Mayowa or defensive end Denico Autry, who are depth players that faired admirably in spot duty during 2015.

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The good news is that Oakland has plenty of cap space to play with for the upcoming season, and the team can focus squarely on the defensive side of the ball. Sure they have to figure out if they will bring back a few key offensive players like veteran tackle Donald Penn, but by and large the key skill position players on O are locked in and look to be a real threat in the coming years.

Sadly, the Raiders defense was not that good in 2015, which makes the remodel of this unit an even bigger problem for GM Reggie McKenzie and owner Mark Davis. Depth will be a challenge, but so will finding several key play makers at vital positions. The team will need a new ball hawking presence at safety, and you could argue their cornerback position is far from settled. Oakland could use a cover linebacker as well after parting ways early in 2015 with Sio Moore.

The fact is that Oakland will be expected to make a huge jump in 2016, and if they fall back or miss the playoffs the season will be considered a failure. That is the result of coach Jack Del Rio’s strong rookie campaign and the rapid progression of Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. It would be a real shame if the team’s defense can’t keep in step with the offense and improve as well, and it’s clear that some big money should be spent to make sure that happens.

Does this mean the Raiders need to go crazy and over pay for one or two big stars on D? No. NFL history has shown that doing that rarely pays off in terms of wins. But Oakland is fooling itself if it thinks it can just draft several players to make up for the loss in depth and quality talent the Raiders currently have on their roster.

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Justin Tuck might not have been a huge difference maker in 2016, but his loss is just another reminder of the overhaul Oakland will need to make next season.