If the Raiders make any deal before the trade deadline, look for them to address their secondary as they currently have the No. 31 ranked defense in the NFL. Specifically, safety could be a potential target as they search for a long-term starter at free safety.
Luckily, there are a few big names available on the safety market. One such player is Marcus Maye of the New York Jets, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2020 season. Another is Xavier Woods of the Dallas Cowboys, who is set to be a free agent next offseason, as well. However, there is another name on the market that might be an even better fit.
In a recent article by Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire, he wrote about nine deals that would make sense ahead of the trade deadline. One such deal was the Raiders trading for safety Anthony Harris who is currently playing on the franchise tag. Here is Farrar’s thinking behind the proposed trade:
“The Raiders’ safety duo of Erik Harris and Johnathan Abram has not been great in coverage, and given that the Vikings are 1-5, perhaps Minnesota could be persuaded to part with Harris, the only defender in 2019 to pick off seven passes and allow no touchdowns. Harris hasn’t been quite as good this season, but he’s also not been helped by the Vikings’ disastrous cornerback situation. He’s a natural deep-third safety, the Vikings are unlikely to re-sign him in 2021 after giving him the franchise tag in 2020, and Harris would do a lot to help a secondary in desperate need.”
Harris is one of the best centerfielders in all of the NFL and just has a nose for the football. Considering the Vikings aren’t likely to make a playoff push this season and Harris is set to become a free agent in 2021, it likely wouldn’t take much to acquire him.
If the Raiders were able to pair Harris with Johnathan Abram for the rest of the season, they would finally have a safety tandem that would work well together. Look for Harris to get moved before the trade deadline and for the Raiders to potentially be interested in the veteran safety.
