Does Akiem Hick makes sense for Raiders down the stretch?

As the Las Vegas Raiders fight to stay in the AFC playoff hunt, there may be an intriguing opportunity to add to their defense.

According a recent report by ESPN, free-agent defensive tackle Akiem Hicks is talking to several teams and may soon sign, presumably with a playoff contender to help down the stretch and into the postseason.

Would Hicks, who turned 34 last week, be a fit for Raiders? There’s certainly reasons to think so if the Raiders can stay in the playoff hunt.

First, the Raiders could always use more reinforcements up front, although they have had some solid play from defensive tackles such as John Jenkins and Adam Butler. So, there could be a fit for Hicks. He had 22 tackles for Tampa Bay in 2022 after a run in Chicago which he was a dominant player in his prime.

According to Spotrac, Las Vegas has more than $10 million in salary-cap remaining for this season so Hicks could easily be added financially speaking.

Making this a real possibility is Hicks has connections to key Las Vegas figures. He was in Chicago with interim Las Vegas general manager Champ Kelly for six seasons. Plus, he played with the New England Patriots in 2015 when Las Vegas defensive coordinator was the linebackers coach there.

Hicks is from Sacramento so playing near the West Coast may also appeal to him.

So, there is a lot of reasons why a Raiders-Hicks makes sense.