In a recent article on ESPN, the Pro Football Focus crew named one free agent player that each team should sign this offseason. For the Raiders, PFF gave the team the former Baltimore Ravens’ edge rusher Za’Darius Smith. Here is what they had to say about the Raiders’ potential interest in Smith:
Jon Gruden infamously said it best, and it rang true in 2018: It’s hard to find good pass-rushers in the NFL. No Raiders edge defender secured more than 31 QB pressures, and Arden Key, who led the Oakland edge defenders, missed 10 tackles on only 38 attempts. Smith is one of the more underrated pass-rushers in the league, registering 60 total QB pressures, impressive compared with the Oakland edge rushing foursome’s 64.
Smith hasn’t received a lot of media attention over the last few seasons, but he has quietly been one of the best edge rushers in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith finished the season with a pass-rush grade of 82.8 with 25 quarterback hurries.
While Smith might not ever be a Pro Bowl or All-Pro edge rusher, he would instantly become the Raiders’ best pass-rusher. Pairing him with Arden Key and hopefully, a first-round pick would go a long way to solving the Raiders lack of a pass-rush. Keep an eye on Smith as a potential target for the Raiders in free agency.
