The Oakland Raiders have signed six free agents, all on the defensive side of the ball. Yet despite all of those signings, the Raiders still have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. And while most have focused their attention on free agents that the Raiders might sign from other teams, they still have a number of free agents from their own team that might be worth re-signing.
The Raiders started with 17 unrestricted free agents and 12 of them still remain unsigned:
Khalif Barnes, RT
Cooper Carlisle, G
Andre Carter, DE
Omar Gaither, MLB
Matt Giordano, FS
Derek Hagan, WR
Joselio Hanson, CB
Shane Lechler, P
Matt Leinart, QB
Mike Mitchell, SS
Richard Seymour, DT
Shawntae Spencer, CB
So far, none of these guys have even had a reported visit with other teams. Yet, despite the lack of interest from others, there are a few guys the Raiders should really want to re-sign. In all likelihood, they have not received any interest because they are mid level to low level players who teams can wait to look at until some of the better guys are off the market.
So while the lack of visits may seem like the Raiders have time, that won't last forever and most of these guys will start receiving interest fairly soon. The following are guys I think the Raiders need to seriously consider bringing back, in the order in which I would focus my attention:
Joselio Hanson, CB - The Raiders are in desperate need of depth at the CB position. Hanson was one of the few CBs on the roster last season who played decently. Not a starter but a solid option at nickel.
Matt Giordano, FS - After cutting former starter Michael Huff, Raiders do not have a single FS on their roster as it currently stands. Giordano has been with the team the past two seasons and has played admirably. He will never be starting caliber, but he is a ball hawk who makes up for a lack of size with good instinct.
Omar Gaither, MLB - Gaither was not even in the NFL when the Raiders needed help at MLB after suspending their starter, Rolando McClain. Despite that, the team saw a marked upgrade at the MLB position towards the end of the season. He is not a starting LB, but adds solid depth and by all reports, he was well liked in the locker room.
Andre Carter, DE - Signed as a mid season free agent, most thought that Carter was all but washed up. Yet despite what people thought, Carter still has some game. Enough to begin taking significant playing time away from Matt Shaughnessy at the end of the season. Hard worker and established veteran who plays hard every play and is a great replacement for Richard Seymour as the team veteran.
Derek Hagan, WR - The Raiders cut Darrius Heyward-Bey, who despite his speed, was developing into a nice possession receiver. While there are still a number of WRs on the team including Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Rod Streater and Juron Criner, they are all young talents with a lot of maturing left to do. Hagan would be a nice veteran presence who can play the possession receiver position with Juron Criner.
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