Tyvon Branch in demand, making the free agent rounds

Since the Raiders officially released Tyvon Branch on Monday, he has been very busy. He is visiting with the Indianapolis Colts today and afterward is headed to visit the Washington Redskins tomorrow and it appears he is likely to catch on somewhere fairly quickly. Being that he was cut, he can sign anywhere immediately.

The 28-year-old strong safety spent his first six NFL seasons in Oakland. The last two he has spent 27 of 32 games on the sideline injured, prompting the Raiders to release him and his salary which was to count a whopping $9.7 million against the salary cap this season.

Both of his injuries were lower leg broken bones. While typically a broken bone is not cause for concern, having it happen in the first two games, two seasons in a row is very concerning.

On the other hand, prior to the past two seasons, he missed just 2 starts in four consecutive seasons. There are plenty of teams willing to take the chance that he is more likely to return to full health again than those who would stay away from him. Especially considering what kind of impact he can make when healthy.

Two of those four seasons, he led the team in tackling (2010-11) and the other two he was second behind only the team's middle linebacker. He also has great speed, having clocked a 4.31 40-yard-dash at the 2008 combine.

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