Entering the start of NFL free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders were one of the teams to keep an eye on as they had a bunch of needs on both sides of the ball and plenty of cap space to work with.
Adding to their defense, at essentially every position, was their biggest need and they have already begun doing that with the addition of two linebackers in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, a defensive tackle in Maliek Collins and a safety in Jeff Heath.
That leaves pass rush and cornerback as the only two positions they had yet to address, although that has now changed. According to Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, the Raiders will be signing former Tampa Bay Buccanneers defensive end Carl Nassib to address their pass rush:
Newest Raider is DE Carl Nassib . . . has come to terms
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) March 17, 2020
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Nassib’s contract is for three years and $25 million with $17 million guaranteed:
Carl Nassib goes the #Raiders for 3 years and $25M, source said. He gets a whopping $17M fully guaranteed at signing on a deal that has a max value of $28M. https://t.co/86qvPQnba1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020
The Raiders’ pass rush was much-improved in 2019 with the additions for rookies Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell. They certainly can use some depth at the position though, which Nassib will bring.
A former third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns out of Penn State, Nassib has played four NFL seasons in Cleveland and Tampa Bay. In 59 career games, he has recorded 115 total tackles, 18 sacks and 31 tackles for loss.
He has shown an ability to get to the quarterback, recording 12.5 sacks in the last two seasons, including 6.0 in 14 games in 2019.
Now that the Raiders have addressed most of their needs, they can shift their focus to adding a cornerback and wide receiver either through free agency or the draft. Las Vegas will have two first-round picks at their disposal in the 2020 NFL Draft.
