The Las Vegas Raiders entered Monday with the most cap space available in the NFL.
For a team coming off a 3-14 season, it goes without saying that personnel help is needed all over the field. New head coach Klint Kubiak and the front office understood this premise and kicked off the NFL Free Agency period fast and furiously.
As of 4:00 p.m PT on Monday, the Raiders reportedly have come to agreements on deals with seven free agents. Those players include OL Tyler Linderbaum (Baltimore Ravens), LB Nakobe Dean (Philadelphia Eagles), LB Quay Walker (Green Bay Packers), WR Jalen Nailor (Minnesota Vikings), DB Eric Stokes (re-signed), DL Kwity Paye (Indianapolis Colts), and OLB Malcolm Koonce (re-signed). The team also acquired DB Taron Johnson from the Buffalo Bills.
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Linderbaum is the obvious headliner here. He’s coming off a period in which he’s made three-straight Pro Bowls for the Ravens. Tough as nails and immensely intelligent, there’s a case to be made that Linderbaum is the best center in the league — and likely one of the best interior linemen in the NFL regardless of position. It’s often spoken about how the best teams are built from the inside-out. Landing a player of this caliber at only 25 years of age is a major win for the rebuilding Raiders.
Walker is a highly productive player in his own right. A former first-round pick out of Georgia, Walker has notched four-straight seasons with at least 100 tackles. He’s a big, physical tone-setter that should be a fixture within the heart of the team’s defense for years to come.
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Dean is two seasons removed from a year in which he accumulated a whopping 128 tackles for the Eagles. In five seasons, Paye has registered a combined 30.5 sacks for the Colts. While neither player is an All-Pro performer, both are rock-solid competitors representing an upgrade from what the Raiders trotted out last year.
Looking to help Brock Bowers and Jack Bech within the receiver corps, Nailor was brought in to offer downfield speed and big-play ability. Now out from under the shadow of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he morphed into the team’s best receiver not named Bowers.
If Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is indeed taken No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL Draft, it appears as if he’ll enter a situation with a more competent squad than the one present in Las Vegas last season.
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