Every season the Raiders go into the offseason saying they’re just a couple of pieces away from being a contender. That has yet to prove accurate and this offseason the overhaul they are going through is a whole hell of a lot more than a couple of pieces.
Just how much of an overhaul is best judged in relative terms. In other words, is it more or less what most NFL teams are facing? For that answer, we look to Overthecap.com who put it to numbers. And it’s more than most NFL teams.
Teams with the most snaps to replace
Cardinals- 43.7%
Bengals- 36.7%
49ers- 35.5%
Raiders- 33.6%
Chargers- 33.5%Teams with least snaps to replace
Dolphins- 15%
Broncos- 13%
WFT-12.4%
Saints- 12.2% (will be higher if Brees retires)
Bills- 12.2%— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) March 14, 2021
Only three teams in the league have more snaps to replace this offseason than the Raiders — the Cardinals, Bengals, and 49ers. That’s to say how many of the team’s largest contributors are either pending free agents or were cut.
There are some 15 either full or part-time starters who were cut, traded, or head for free agency. A total of 145 starts. And that’s including those players who may not have stared, but played significant snaps.
Cuts/trades: Gabe Jackson (16), Lamarcus Joyner (14), Trent Brown (5), Richie Incognito (2), Tyrell Williams (IR).
Free agents: Johnathan Hankins (16), Denzelle Good (14), Nelson Agholor (13), Erik Harris (12), Maliek Collins (11), Nicholas Morrow (11), Nevin Lawson (9), Jason Witten (7), Devontae Booker (1), Sam Young (7), Raekwon McMillan (4), Zay Jones (2), Daryl Worley (1).
It’s for this reason that the Raiders have as many as nine different starting spots to fill at seven different positions (two guards, two defensive tackles). The list of positions *not* in need of a starter is shorter. It consists of QB, RB, TE, and C. Yes, that means every position on the defense needs to replace a starter.
With the cuts and trades, they’ve made they currently have around $40 million to spend in free agency. They will need all of it to try and fill these holes.
