Last week, the Raiders made a few big splashes in free agency. They signed Pro-Bowl linebacker and Super Bowl champion Chandler Jones, All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, and added many more game-changing pieces to their roster. Heading into week two, the focus seemed to be continuing to add depth behind their impressive starting players.
More offensive additions
Las Vegas opened week two of free agency by signing a QB, Garret Gilbert. Gilbert is highly familiar with the Raiders’ new front office after spending time on the Patriots and Raiders practice squads previously. He is heading into his ninth year in the league. Gilbert is in line to back up Derek Carr, as they are the only two QBs on the Raiders roster currently.
Josh McDaniels is famous for loving his tight ends and that can be seen clearly in what he has done during his time in Las Vegas already. The Raiders headed into free agency with TEs Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, and Nick Bowers on the roster. This week, they added Jacob Hollister to that list. Hollister is a sixth-year veteran coming off his lone season for the Jaguars. He has 83 career receptions for 707 yards and seven touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
Last week, the Silver and Black added one of the best wide receivers in the league when they traded for Davante Adams. This week, they added some depth at wide receiver by signing Demarcus Robinson. Robinson spent the previous six seasons with AFC West rival the Kansas City Chiefs. He is coming off a season with 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Robinson inked a 1-year contract on Tuesday.
Defense is still the focus
In 2021, the Raider’s defense was much improved over the last three seasons. They ended the year ranked 26th per PFT. This is a significant improvement from 2020 and 2019 when they ranked 31st. To continue their upward trend, they knew they needed to add some force to their roster this offseason. Chandler Jones and Rock Ya-Sin were the first dominoes to fall, but they aren’t anywhere close to done.
After releasing Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, the Las Vegas linebacker corps was looking thin. They addressed that this week with the additions of Micah Kiser and Kyler Fackrell. Fackrell joins the Raiders after one season with the Chargers, in which he appeared in 13 games. Kiser spent the 2021 season with both the Broncos and Rams, appearing in 11 total games throughout the season.
Along with LB, the Raider’s interior defensive line was lacking. They had a whopping four defensive tackles hit the open market after the 2021 season, and they haven’t brought back any of them. On Tuesday, they partially addressed this need with the addition of DT Kyle Peko. Peko spent 2021 with the AFC’s top seed, the Titans. He appeared in eight games, starting three. 2021 was his best season and now he gets the chance to improve in the Silver and Black.
As free agency trucks along, the Raiders have roughly $15 million left in cap space. Their big-name signings may be done, but look for Dave Ziegler and McDaniels to continue adding depth before the 2022 NFL Draft begins on April 28th.