Free Agency thread for Raiders and league-wide

[RunOverByHubbard]

Free agency opens March 11. CBS Sports has their top 50 ranking. No Raiders on the list. I am surprised at a couple rated high - Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones. Lots of wide receivers

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/earl ... ng-top-50/

[MexicanHulk]

I do like me some Leo Chenal, plus we’d be taking from KC. I think we will remake the LB group without breaking the bank.

Yeah, loved him coming out for the range he was going in. Hate the Chiefs drafted him. They always draft players I really like. I’ve come around to him possibly being my #1 LBer target. I think he’s turned the corner &, could be a Spillane type player in terms of production. His cover has really come on to the point where, if used correctly, he’s actually solid there. Not a liability. His downhill game has always been good &, even that’s taken a bit of a jump.

Raiders do need another coverage type tho. Dean/Ellis would be good to pair with him. These guys I’d say should be coming in less than 10mil each. Probably the 6-8 range.

[MexicanHulk]

Agreed really good LB'er group. Might be worth grabbing two tbh. And yea X isn't a pressing need, but it's an absolute requirement for good play design. Thornton is the lone true X we have right now, and I'm still quite high on him. But you can't bank the future of a position on a 4th round pick. Luckily this offseason the main prerogative is two top tier offensive linemen, but I think we'll definitely make a move for a traditional perimeter receiver at some point. If not this year, it'll be a main priority next.

Oh, I hope they get minimum two. I’m hoping for three. Since the DT FA class is pretty lean. Same for secondary (but some solid bargains possibly).

I agree on Thornton. Altho, if they strike out on getting a true X type receiver, I wouldn’t feel bad about the WR room. Especially because of Kunbiak’s ability to draw up good plays to maximize that group. He’ll make it as easy as possible for them to at least play solid.

I’d definitely be making calls to players agents that will be bargains to get. Like Aiyuk (is he motivated &, on his best behavior next year), T. Hill (healthy), AJ Brown (cost next to nothing), MHJr (2nd round pick), BTJ (2nd round pick), etc…

[NoThanksSir]

Oh, I hope they get minimum two. I’m hoping for three. Since the DT FA class is pretty lean. Same for secondary (but some solid bargains possibly).

I agree on Thornton. Altho, if they strike out on getting a true X type receiver, I wouldn’t feel bad about the WR room. Especially because of Kunbiak’s ability to draw up good plays to maximize that group. He’ll make it as easy as possible for them to at least play solid.

I’d definitely be making calls to players agents that will be bargains to get. Like Aiyuk (is he motivated &, on his best behavior next year), T. Hill (healthy), AJ Brown (cost next to nothing), MHJr (2nd round pick), BTJ (2nd round pick), etc…

Yea you can certainly fake it without a true X for some time, but I do think if you ignore it for too long you end up in an awkward situation where your offense hits a wall against playoff defenses. Which is why I'd personally be against guys like Aiyuk, or even Hill. I'd argue San Fran is actually a perfect example of an elite offense that has been stuck in the mud because they have high level flankers and slots in spades but are relatively easy to gameplan against otherwise. Kubiak isn't an antidote to this, and honestly Jaxson Smith didn't have an explosive SB game but they got there because he's the best #1 perimeter receiver in the game right now. Defenses have to be honest against that.

AJ Brown is very interesting as a possible veteran addition. I've said it a hundred times but because I've said a f[raiders_icon]ck ton of other shit people get caught up, I do think we play it cool with WR this offseason because the market sucks. But between this offseason and next, we will have to make a move. It's just a matter of picking the right spot and timing to do so.

[chucker]

I would far rather draft a player who could develop as an X than pay a bunch of money for one in FA. I'm not a big college FB guy, but the reports from the draft mediots say that it's a really deep WR class in the draft this year.

[NewEraX25]

Yea you can certainly fake it without a true X for some time, but I do think if you ignore it for too long you end up in an awkward situation where your offense hits a wall against playoff defenses. Which is why I'd personally be against guys like Aiyuk, or even Hill. I'd argue San Fran is actually a perfect example of an elite offense that has been stuck in the mud because they have high level flankers and slots in spades but are relatively easy to gameplan against otherwise. Kubiak isn't an antidote to this, and honestly Jaxson Smith didn't have an explosive SB game but they got there because he's the best #1 perimeter receiver in the game right now. Defenses have to be honest against that.

AJ Brown is very interesting as a possible veteran addition. I've said it a hundred times but because I've said a f[raiders_icon]ck ton of other shit people get caught up, I do think we play it cool with WR this offseason because the market sucks. But between this offseason and next, we will have to make a move. It's just a matter of picking the right spot and timing to do so.

The chiefs went 9-7 without a single TD to a WR. I would love to have 9 wins next year. But it would be nice to have a shiny slightly used toy at that position.

[NoThanksSir]

The chiefs went 9-7 without a single TD to a WR. I would love to have 9 wins next year. But it would be nice to have a shiny slightly used toy at that position.

Yea I feel that but that was viewed as a failure by the Chiefs who had won a superbowl with a WR. Regardless, we got time

[chucker]

Yea I feel that but that was viewed as a failure by the Chiefs who had won a superbowl with a WR. Regardless, we got time

That was before the Chiefs' Super Bowls.

[NoThanksSir]

That was before the Chiefs' Super Bowls.

Ah true! Thanks for the clarification.Thought the first one was with him. Proud to be wrong when it comes to Chief stats

[chucker]

Ah true! Thanks for the clarification.Thought the first one was with him. Proud to be wrong when it comes to Chief stats

They actually improved and won the SB the year after they unloaded Tyreek Hill. I think the issue with that old Chiefs team wasn't just the WRs themselves, it was that Alex Smith was still in full dink and dunk mode and they had Kelce and Jamal Charles.

[chucker]

Q Meyers asked Kubiak, after the PC today, if the plan was to run ZBS and what it takes to make that successful. Kubiak identified that you start doing it day 1 and just keep repeating it. He also said it is all about repetition and you start in April and build muscle memory and improve over the season.

Q asked what kind of olineman it takes to execute it and Kubiak answered that "you have to be athletic but you can't be so light that you can't pass pro. Really the most important thing is getting a really bright center that can ID fronts and get everybody on the same page".

[NewEraX25]

Q Meyers asked Kubiak, after the PC today, if the plan was to run ZBS and what it takes to make that successful. Kubiak identified that you start doing it day 1 and just keep repeating it. He also said it is all about repetition and you start in April and build muscle memory and improve over the season.

Q asked what kind of olineman it takes to execute it and Kubiak answered that "you have to be athletic but you can't be so light that you can't pass pro. Really the most important thing is getting a really bright center that can ID fronts and get everybody on the same page".

So JPJ at guard confirmed.

[NoThanksSir]

So JPJ at guard confirmed.

That first practice will be fascinating. Spytek had a different opinion on JPJ than Carroll & Son. I think that's why he wasn't traded. Being able to operate Kubiak's run game will be the ultimate litmus test for whether JPJ has the chops to be the line caller at a pro level.

[raider_kin]

That first practice will be fascinating. Spytek had a different opinion on JPJ than Carroll & Son. I think that's why he wasn't traded. Being able to run Kubiak's run game will be the ultimate litmus test for whether JPJ has the chops to be the line caller at a pro level.

Just hoping we get a dominant center; so Raider legacy that

[NoThanksSir]

Just hoping we get a dominant center; so Raider legacy that

Agreed. Personally I'm giving a lot of our young guys a pass, because Carroll did dog shit with our young talent. It would still be prudent to plan for a backup and even a third option. But I still believe JPJ is a special talent at center and an okay talent at guard. Like our young WRs, I'm not giving up on him, but it would be prudent to acquire some kind of insurance policy

[NewEraX25]

Agreed. Personally I'm giving a lot of our young guys a pass, because Carroll did dog shit with our young talent. It would still be prudent to plan for a backup and even a third option. But I still believe JPJ is a special talent at center and an okay talent at guard. Like our young WRs, I'm not giving up on him, but it would be prudent to acquire some kind of insurance policy

The problem is now you have to have two Centers who are special because it's almost a guarantee that JPJ is going to go down with at least 1 concussion. If he does have the chops though, he should be wearing the balloon on his helmet and have every piece of protective gear possible.