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This morning when the Detroit Lions announced they had signed DL Israel Idonije, one of the few remaining quality free agents that the Raiders may have signed became unavailable. With the release of LB Mario Kurn, the Raiders do have one spot left. They have plenty of options to fill that spot, and I'll run through a few of them here.
DE John Abraham- He was let go by the Falcons at the end of last season, as the Falcons apparently don't think they need any sort of pass rush aside from the newly signed Osi Umenyiora. Abraham was reportedly close to signing with the Titans, but contract demands got in the way of him getting a deal there. The longer he sits on his couch, the easier signing him will be. While he does play the same position as Andre Carter, the success of the New York Football Giants shows you can never have too many pass rushers.
WR Brandon Lloyd- The Raiders currently lack an established #1 receiver, and while Lloyd hasn't really ever been that type of guy he did flourish in the Patriot offense last year. I understand that my aged grandmother could also flourish catching passes from Tom Brady, but Lloyd also did well catching passes from Tim Rattay in the cesspool that was the Niners' offense in 2005 and from Kyle Orton with Denver in 2010- he led the NFL in receiving yards that year.
TE Dallas Clark- He was one of the most dependable tight ends in football for the first several years of his career, teaming with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis to be one of the most prolific QB-TE combinations ever. With Manning gone from Indy last year, Clark signed with the Buccaneers, and had a respectable season. He caught 47 passes totaling 435 yards and four touchdowns. He would be a stopgap option in Oakland; productive in the short term but not young enough to stunt the development of any of the Raiders' young tight end prospects. That is exactly what the Raiders need in my opinion.
OT Eric Winston- The fact that this guy doesn't have a job is baffling to me. He was an extremely solid right tackle last year and several teams need that. It's probably his asking price that is keeping him unemployed, as he reportedly wants 3-4 million a year. That is not at all an unreasonable amount for someone of his considerable skills to demand, but it does limit the teams who would be able to sign him at this juncture. He apparently worked out for Miami, but was not signed by them. Whether or not you think Oakland should attempt to sign him is likely dictated by what you think of Khalif Barnes, a guy I would describe as "okay", but who has somewhat struggled with injury, unleashing the endless fountain of failure that was Willie Smith upon the Nation last season. Until Menelik Watson is ready to step in full time, the Raiders might want to look at upgrading RT in the short term.
S Kerry Rhodes- Here's an interesting guy. He is clearly starter quality, and played at a high level for both the Cardinals and Jets in recent years. There are a lot of rumors going around about his sexuality, which has led some to speculate whether that has anything to do with the fact that no team has signed him yet. However, the Raiders have participated in the "If you can play, you can play" message and the Bay Area is known for its openness toward the subject. The problem is that the Raiders have Tyvon Branch, Charles Woodson, and Usama Young at safety already, so safety may not be a high priority for the team, but it would be a chance to sign a truly excellent player and possibly a good PR move as well.
So what do you think? Should Oakland go after any of these guys?
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