The Oakland Raiders have steadily added pieces to their defense over the last few days of the free agency period. This has seen many new faces come aboard in the secondary in hopes of helping see an improved unit next season.
The front office has also worked to keep a couple of familiar faces in the fold to maintain a level of stability in the unit. Among those is veteran safety Reggie Nelson, who has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal to stay in Oakland, according to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network:
Free agent safety Reggie Nelson agreed to terms with the #Raiders on 1-year deal, source said. Someone to help teach DC Paul Guenther’s system.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2018
The 34-year-old has spent the last two years with the Raiders as one of their primary pieces in the secondary as the starting free safety. He is also coming off another productive campaign where he registered 89 tackles with two forced fumbles, an interception, and five pass deflections while playing in all 16 games.
Nelson has shown prove once again to be quite a durable player over his career missing just six total games in his first 11 seasons in the league with the Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, he has played in every game in each of the last four years.
The decision to bring him back for at least another season keeps aboard some continuity in the secondary to help make the transition easier for the incoming defensive backs still learning the system. He has also proven to be a reliable source for the Raiders despite their notable struggles against the pass over the last few years.
Oakland is hoping that this new batch of personnel in the secondary can lead to some success next season after finishing the 2017 campaign ranked 26th overall against the pass and 31st in opposing quarterback completion rate (68.1). The Raiders may also look to further boost their secondary in the 2018 NFL Draft.