The first day of free agency is in the books, and it was a busy day for the Raiders. Oakland made the first big splash, signing former Patriots’ offensive tackle Trent Brown to the richest deal for an offensive lineman in NFL history. But their work wasn’t done. Later in the day, the Raiders targeted the versatile safety Lamarcus Joyner from the Rams to pair with Karl Joseph.
Who is going to be the next signing for the Oakland Raiders? Surely they will be active on Tuesday and Wednesday as there are still a ton of quality players left on the market. Let’s take a look at five players the Raiders should consider signing on Day 2 of free agency:
WR Tyrell Williams, Chargers
Adding Antonio Brown was just the first step of the needed wide receiver rebuild in Oakland. The Raiders lack speed on offense and the best receiver on the market that could bring them explosiveness is Tyrell Williams of the Chargers.
Williams is 27 years old and has proven to be one of the best deep-threats in the NFL, averaging 16.3 yards per reception throughout his career. If Oakland could pair him with Antonio Brown, they would suddenly have one of the most potent receiver corps in the NFL.
Oakland is going to need someone to help take the pressure off of Brown and Williams could certainly do that.
CB Morris Claiborne, Jets
One of the best free agents still on this market could be Jets’ cornerback Morris Claiborne. The former No.6 overall pick from the 2012 NFL Draft has finally started to come into his own. Most importantly, Claiborne is shedding his injury-prone label as he has played 30 of 32 games over the past two seasons.
Claiborne doesn’t create a lot of turnovers, but he just doesn’t get beat very often. He has never developed into a lockdown, No.1 cornerback type of player, but he has turned into a fantastic No.2 cornerback.
With the team signing Joyner and retaining Daryl Worley, Claiborne would likely be the missing piece to solving the team’s secondary issues. He would make for a perfect complement to Gareon Conley.
LB Jordan Hicks, Eagles
With a lot of the top linebackers off the board, the Raiders should turn their attention to former Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Hicks. According to Pro Football Focus, Hicks is the best free agent linebacker available on the market after posting a season grade of 80.7 in 2018:
In 12 games, Hicks tallied 91 total tackles, five pass deflections and five tackles for a loss. Hicks has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, but the belief is that he is an ascending player that would fit any defense. One of the best traits about Hicks is his consistency, and that’s something Oakland really needs from their linebacker position in 2019.
Consider Hicks to be one of the top two or three linebackers on the market, and he could be had at a discounted price after players like Kwon Alexander, C.J. Mosley, and Anthony Barr have already signed new deals.
