3 Bold predictions for the Oakland Raiders in 2019 NFL free agency
3. Raiders miss on all of the top edge rushers
The general assumption right now is the Raiders are going to throw a lot of money around during free agency in hopes of landing a top edge rusher. There are plenty to choose from, and Oakland has more than enough cap space to entice at least one of them, right?
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Well, not so fast. First, we have to assume that at least a couple of them will be franchise tagged. It’s the expectation for Demarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark, with more potentially falling into that category.
From there, we could see others decide to take their talents to teams with more contender potential. Hailing from a perennial Super Bowl favorite, Trey Flowers may opt to simply re-sign with the New England Patriots or join a legitimate playoff squad. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Brandon Graham stayed put.
Maybe Jadeveon Clowney or Dee Ford? It’s possible, but I don’t see either signing with the Raiders. That leaves Ezekiel Ansah, who is always hurt and probably isn’t worth the amount of money it’ll take to earn his signature this offseason. So that’s a hard pass.
The end result: the Raiders miss on all of the top edge talent. Looks like they’ll be relying on a rookie to upgrade their pass rush in 2019.