Raiders fail to spend wisely, NFL power rankings and more
The Oakland Raiders have been busy reshaping their roster over the past nine months, but the net result is a failure to allocate resources properly.
Every move in the NFL sends a message. The Oakland Raiders are sending all the wrong ones. Since last September, when the Raiders traded generational pass rusher Khalil Mack, these are the messages the Raiders have sent their players:
- Even if you’re a homegrown superstar, you aren’t getting paid
- The biggest contracts on are team will go to outside talents
- We aren’t following our draft board correctly
- We are willing to use resources on players who aren’t worth the money
The fourth message was driven home Friday. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, coach Jon Gruden announced offensive tackle Trent Brown will move to the right side while second-year man Kolton Miller will stay on the left.
Brown, 26, was given a four-year, $66 million deal on the first day of free agency’s tampering period. It’s the largest contract ever given to an offensive lineman, and it’s based almost solely on how Brown played in 2018 for the New England Patriots. Prior to that, Brown was a middling right tackle in San Francisco, who New England acquired last April for a third-round pick. The 49ers had to send back a fifth-round choice as well. In essence, Brown was traded for 48 draft slots.
Brown blossomed under offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, although it wasn’t smooth. At the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Scarnecchia openly talked about having to stay on Brown throughout the season. Now Brown goes to Oakland and position coach Tom Cable, where he will switch sides. Miller, who struggled mightily in his rookie year out of UCLA, is staying put.
In short, the Raiders paid $16.5 million per season for a right tackle, massively resetting the market. It also means that should Miller turn his young career around, he’ll be asking for a contract significantly larger. While it’s true right and left tackles are becoming equally important, the money hasn’t caught up.
In the 2019 season, 16 left tackles have cap hits greater than $10 million. Only two right tackle are above that threshold. Brown comes in at a whopping $15.25 million. Ricky Wagner of the Detroit Lions comes in at $11.9 million.
Oakland clearly could have afforded to pay Mack and Cooper. It could have still selected Ferrell at No. 4 and likely would have been able to get either running back Josh Jacobs or safety Johnathan Abram at the top of the second round. In free agency, the Raiders had enough cap space to land their targets, including Brown. Still, instead of overpaying him, they could have landed Ja’Wuan James for the four years and $51 million given to him by the Denver Broncos.
Instead, Oakland continued it’s wild eight months that started with the the trade of Mack and then Cooper. They have signed Trent Brown, receiver Tyrell Williams and safety LaMarcus Joyner. They also acquired receiver Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers and immediately added $30 million to a contract with three years left on it.
In essence, the Antonio Brown deal was another example of overpaying a guy from outside the organization and a guy who bad-mouthed his former teammates on the way out of Pittsburgh. What does that message tell the players on your team?
In the draft, Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock used the No. 4-overall pick on edge rusher Clelin Ferrell. In Peter King’s subsequent column, it’s made clear Oakland doesn’t believe Ferrell has the pass-rushing potential of the still-available Josh Allen. However, Ferrell was selected because he should be a good player with great practice habits.
With the first of the choices they procured in the Mack trade, Oakland took Jacobs at No. 24. Three spots later, the Cooper trade became complete when Abram, a box safety, became the new best member of the Silver and Black.
Oakland had a chance to remake its roster and send all the right messages. Paying to the stars within the building. Supplementing with free agency. Allocating resources correctly.
Instead, the Raiders have continued to bungle their situation in the brutally tough AFC West.
Power rankings
Top 10 teams coming out of the draft
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. New Orleans Saints
3. New England Patriots
4. Los Angeles Rams
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Chicago Bears
8. Indianapolis Colts
9. Cleveland Browns
10. Green Bay Packers
Quotable
"“I reached out to Will. I actually seen Will play in high school with him being in Charlotte and I’m just excited. Like I said, for him to come on a team that I know he possesses a rare talent and I’m excited.”"
– Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on the team drafting Will Grier
Newton is saying all the right things about the Panthers taking Grier in the third round. The 2015 MVP is in the prime of his career, but an offseason should surgery has left his current status a bit uncertain. Carolina was smart to protect itself long term. Newton is smart for being the consummate pro.
It’s hard to read this quote and not think about Ben Roethlisberger. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round as a potential replacement down the line. Unlike Newton, Roethlisberger didn’t embrace his new teammate, instead questioning why the team made the choice.
Nice job by Newton here.
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Random stat
The only three teams to not have a 4,000-yard passing season are the Bears, Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Info learned this week
1. Vikings among teams worth watching with expensive veterans
The Minnesota Vikings have choices to make.
After the draft, Minnesota has less than $2 million in cap space. In other words, General Manager Rick Spielman will need to move a veteran to sign his incoming rookies. Spielman has three choices in tight end Kyle Rudoph and cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes. If Rhodes is sent packing it’ll likely be via trade, while the other two could be released. All three could help ample teams across the league.
Other veteran cuts could include running back LeSean McCoy of the Buffalo Bills and linebacker Darron Lee of the New York Jets. McCoy is in a crowded backfield with Buffalo landing Devin Singletary in the draft and the signing of Frank Gore. Buffalo would save more than $6.4 million with the move.
As for Lee, it’s long been known in league circles that GM Mike Maccagnan would love to deal him for a draft pick. However, no market has materialized, and so it’s likely he ends up being cut.
One more name to watch is New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins has been a steady player throughout his career, but at a post-June 1 savings of $10.25 million, it makes sense for Big Blue to move on during its rebuild.
2. Titans surprisingly decline fifth-year option on Conklin
Next year, the Tennessee Titans could be losing All-Pro tackle Jack Conklin. After four quality years in Nashville, the franchise surprising declined his option because of a recent run of knee problems. Conklin should be doing backflips in celebration.
If Conklin can put together a solid season, he’s in line for a massive payday. The market for tackles has exploded in recent years with contracts handed out to Nate Solder and Trent Brown. With Brown playing on the right side, Conklin’s ceiling should be practically limitless. While the Titans could use the franchise tag to keep him around in 2020, they would be paying in excess of $15 million. A hefty price, to be sure.
Of all the other fifth-year options, there weren’t many surprises. The Buffalo Bills declined on defensive end Shaq Lawson, who has disappointed thus far. A star at Clemson, Lawson has only notched 10 sacks in his career.
In Chicago, the Bears exercised their option on edge rusher Leonard Floyd. Floyd only has eight sacks over the past two years. He’ll need a big 2019 to be kept at the cost of $13.2 million in 2020.
3. Cardinals should stop insulting everyone’s intelligence
Kyler Murray is going to start Week 1. This isn’t up for debate.
Unless Murray is injured, the Heisman Trophy winner will be on the field when the Cardinals host the Detroit Lions. While Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury can try to play coy, the idea that Brett Hundley is going to get the nod is utter nonsense. If he does, General Manager Steve Keim made one o the worst blunders in personnel history.
After Josh Rosen was dealt to the Miami Dolphins for a pair of draft picks, any notion of Murray sitting was out the window. There’s no legitimate competition on the roster. Arizona might not have a terrific support system in place for Murray — the offensive line is a mess — but he’s going to be under center when the season begins.
4. Seahawks must hammer out a deal with Wagner
Bobby Wagner is preparing for 2019 to potentially be his last year in Seattle. General Manager John Schneider needs to make sure that isn’t the case. Wagner, 28, remains one of the best inside linebackers in football. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro, Wagner has personified greatness throughout his first seven years in the league. Schneider couldn’t pick a finer player to build his defense around going into the next decade.
Additionally, Seattle has allowed almost all of its defensive stars to leave. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Sheldon Richardson and others have all departed within the last two years either by free agency or trade. The Seahawks have to send a message Russell Wilson isn’t the only homegrown talent they value.
5. Another of America’s talented youth gone far too soon
Jaylon McKenzie was expected to be a gridiron great. Tragically, he’s dead. McKenzie, who was one of six teenagers which Sports Ilustrated profiled in its 2018 Futures Issue, was shot and killed at a party in California on Saturday night. He was in eighth grade.
This shouldn’t be a reality in a first-world country. A boy trying to enjoy time with friends, ending with gunshots that altered lives forever. The world will move on, but those left behind lost a part of themselves with McKenzie’s death. A bullet never kills only one.
Only a week ago, the Giants almost saw their sixth-round pick murdered. Cornerback Corey Ballentine was shot alongside friend Dwane Simmons, who tragically did not survive. Thankfully, Ballentine is expected to make a full recovery. This is America, and we all have the freedom of choice. We also have the freedom of speech. Our freedoms are what separate us from so many other places around the world, and they are priceless.
It’s fair to wonder, though, how we’ve gotten to a place where two young men are shot to death, another wounded, and it barely makes the news. And this is only in the football world. Hug your kids.
History lesson
The 1994 NFC Championship Game might be the most star-studded contest in NFL history. When the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers met at Candlestick Park, there were two Most Valuable Players, 10 Hall of Famers, 19 First-Team All-Pros and 42 Pro Bowlers on the rosters.
San Francisco went on to win the game and beat the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
Parting shot
Tytus Howard has more pressure on him than any non-quarterback in the rookie class.
Howard will likely be tasked with guarding Deshaun Watson’s blindside. Watson is the face of the Houston Texans franchise, and one that took a brutal beating last year. Despite terrific mobility, Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times in 2018.
If Houston wants to win the AFC South again, the line will need to greatly improve. General Manager Brian Gaine invested significant resources into the area, taking Howard in the first round and Max Scharping 55th overall in the second. In those two selections, Gaine might have found his new bookends.
Still, Howard will be under the hottest of spotlights. Houston took him ahead of Cody Ford, who was almost universally mocked a first-round talent. Howard was thought to be a Day 2 choice.
The good news? One source texted me and said he sees a lot of Terron Armstead in his game. If Howard turns into Armstead, that’s a great pick.
Despite winning the division in three of the last four seasons, the Texans are being given little chance to fend off the Colts. If Howard turns out to be a star, that’ll go a long way towards thwarting the experts.