3 Free agents Las Vegas Raiders could still sign in August
By Randy Gurzi
1. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
Clelin Ferrell was taken fourth overall in 2019 out of Clemson and had a lot of expectations placed on his shoulders. Ferrell was being tasked with replacing Khalil Mack, which is an impossible task. In his first season, he posted 38 tackles but all anyone cared about was his sack total which was just 4.5.
The good news for the Raiders is they did find a rookie to pick up the slack there as fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby was a stellar find, posting 47 tackles and 10 sacks. The East Michigan product was a breath of fresh air but still had some holes in his game as he graded at just 58.9 in run defense according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
This isn’t to say Crosby should be relegated to the bench but if Vegas is serious about trying to compete in the AFC West this season, they might want to go for a splash signing and pick up Jadeveon Clowney.
The former No. 1 overall pick in 2014 out of South Carolina, Clowney is still looking for his home in 2020 and he’s grown frustrated with the lack of long-term contract options. Vegas still likely wouldn’t give him the multi-year deal he wants but Clowney might be willing to bend now that camps are underway.
Should he join the Raiders, he would quickly become their best defensive linemen. He’s solid at rushing the passer (don’t let his modest numbers in 2019 fool you) and he can set the edge in the run game as well.
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He wouldn’t be cheap but Clowney would make everyone’s job on defense much easier as he would limit the amount of time the opposing quarterback had to scan the defense.