The Las Vegas Raiders free agency period should shape up to be one of the most exciting of any team in the NFL. With rumors of Tom Brady coming to town, there is no telling where this offseason will take the franchise.
While getting one of the best quarterbacks in modern NFL history would be exciting, the team has some very important needs on the defensive side of the ball as well. The Raiders’ interior defense seems to be in good hands, but the team gave up the eighth-most passing yards in 2019.
Safety Johnathan Abram is still recovering from his shoulder injury that limited him to one game in his rookie season, but his return should certainly bolster the Raiders’ secondary. However, the Raiders are apparently eyeing even more. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders would also like to snag a rival team’s player:
Another player the Raiders would like to steal from an AFC West rival, according to league sources, is Broncos safety Justin Simmons. He could play center field next to Johnathan Abram.
Simmons is a four-year player from Boston College and is entering free agency for the first time in his career. Last year was his best year by far, grabbing four interceptions and 15 passes defenses for the Denver Broncos.
Of course, safety seems like it would be the Raiders’ area of least concern with Abram, Erik Harris and Lamarcus Joyner all on board. However, last year, after Vontaze Burfict began his suspension, the Raiders started moving Joyner around to provide better coverage defensively. Should the Raiders land Simmons, it would not be unlikely for Joyner to move to slot corner full-time.
Simmons would be another great piece to add, but one of the biggest wins would be stealing him from the Broncos. The Raiders split the season series with their AFC West rivals last season. Although Simmons did have a great year, he actually did not record an interception and had only one pass defense against the Raiders.
The Raiders as a team last year recorded only nine interceptions, the fourth-worst in the league. Hopefully, Las Vegas can successfully recruit some defensive players like Simmons to come and round out a defensive unit on the rise. Of course, even if they cannot, Abram should be able to step into a premiere role in 2020, and the team also has a war chest of draft picks to work with.
