Raiders Rumors: Johnathan Abram, Clelin Ferrell Trades Discussed with Multiple Teams

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly willing to move safety Johnathan Abram and defensive end Clelin Ferrell ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline on Nov. 1.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday the Raiders have been in talks with rival teams about both players, with Abram's name "circulating a lot."

"The Raiders are trying to start new with players who fit their personality," an NFC executive told Fowler. "They've been pretty aggressive in that."

Abram and Ferrell are two of the players remaining from the previous leadership tandem of general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden. With the Raiders off to a sluggish 1-4 start, continuing to reshape the roster with a new vision is a focus for current GM Dave Ziegler.

It's "no secret" that Ziegler is working to rid the roster of players from the previous regime, per Fowler.

Abram, 25, is coming off a 2021 season in which he posted a career-high 116 total tackles with four passes defended and an interception across 14 appearances. He's tallied 32 tackles in five games so far in 2022 with a lackluster 47.6 Pro Football Focus grade.

Ferrell, also 25, has seen his role diminish over the past two seasons. He only played 24 percent of the team's defensive snaps last year, and it's ticked up only slightly to 34 percent in five appearances this season. He played over 60 percent his first two years with the team.

It's unlikely either player would return a significant trade haul. Abram could bring in a mid-round draft pick, while Ferrell probably falls more toward a late-round selection.

Las Vegas has a more favorable schedule following its Week 6 bye, starting with a home game against the Houston Texans (1-3-1) on Sunday, so it's too soon to write off the team's playoff chances.

That said, Ziegler's effort to rebuild the roster without many leftover pieces from the prior front office is apparent, and now could be a good chance to get some value for the defenders, especially Abram given his strong performance last year.

Trades or not, the Raiders need to start getting better production from their defense, which ranks 22nd in yards allowed (359.2 per game) and 28th in points allowed (26 per game) this season.