A few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers released All-Pro guard David DeCastro after it was revealed that he will need an ankle surgery that could cause him to miss two or three months. That is obviously problematic as the NFL season is set to begin in 10 weeks.
But given DeCastro’s pedigree, would it make sense for the Raiders to sign him now and wait for him to get healthy, hopefully by the mid-way point of the 2021 season?
Here is why it would make some sense for the Raiders. DeCastro is a six-time Pro Bowler who had made the Pro Bowl in every season since 2015. He certainly isn’t old for the position as he just turned 31 in January. Assuming he still wants to continue his football career, it’s conceivable that the Raiders could still get 2-3 quality years from DeCastro.
Signing DeCastro would also provide the team some insurance on Richie Incognito, who has played a total of 14 games since the end of the 2017 season. At age 38, it’s just not all that likely anymore that he can stay healthy for a full-17 game schedule.
While DeCastro is battling an injury now, he has been very healthy throughout his career. He’s missed just seven total starts since the 2013 season, but several of those were due to the Steelers resting him at the end of the year before the playoffs.
DeCastro is still a quality guard and if healthy, would provide an upgrade over Incognito or Denzelle Good. While it seems unlikely the team will sign him anytime soon, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world for the Raiders to keep tabs on his rehab as he could help this young offensive line this season.
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