Raiders' Team Needs to Fill in 2023 NFL Free Agency
The 2023 offseason is shaping up to be a pivotal one for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The first year under head coach Josh McDaniels didn't go as Las Vegas would have hoped, and the franchise parted with longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr at the end of it.
The 2023 season might not be a make-or-break year for McDaniels, but even if the Raiders don't return to the postseason, they must show a clear line of direction. A losing season can be acceptable if the coach and the roster have a defined plan for long-term success.
Extra attention will be paid to the 2023 draft, in which the Raiders possess nine selections, including No. 7 overall. However, Las Vegas also has a few needs that would be worth addressing in free agency, where it is equipped with $48.3 million in cap space.
With this in mind, let's examine three key needs the Raiders should look to fill in free agency this offseason.
Cornerback
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While McDaniels and the Raiders were happy to move on from Carr, quarterback play was not the biggest reason for Las Vegas' struggles in 2022. The blame can be placed squarely on the defense.
Las Vegas was just plain bad defensively this past season. The team ranked 23rd in yards per rush allowed (4.5), 28th in yards per pass allowed (6.7), 28th in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed.
General manager Dave Ziegler should attack the defense with gusto in free agency, and cornerback should be a primary focus. Las Vegas didn't have a true shutdown corner on its roster in 2022, and one of the team's better pass-defenders, Rock Ya-Sin, is scheduled to become a free agent.
The good news is that Las Vegas is loaded with cap space and can afford to chase top free agents like James Bradberry and Jamel Dean on the open market. Re-signing Ya-Sin would also be logical.
This is a position at which the Raiders can throw multiple darts, so signing a top free agent and then targeting the position early in the draft should be part of the offseason game plan.
Pass-Rusher
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While prized 2022 offseason addition Chandler Jones did come on strong late in the season—four of his 4.5 sacks came in his final four games—he didn't do enough to elevate the Raiders' pass rush.
Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby shined again with 12.5 sacks, but he was responsible for roughly 46 percent of the team's 27 total quarterback takedowns. It would behoove the Raiders to add another complementary pass-rusher to the mix.
Again, this is a position Ziegler should target both in free agency and the draft.
While there are no top-tier pass-rushers headed to market, Las Vegas could add a solid rotational piece and then focus on a young prospect to develop for the future. One intriguing possibility would be bringing back Yannick Ngakoue.
The 27-year-old was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for Ya-Sin after the Raiders acquired Jones. While Ngakoue has never been an elite edge-defender, he's remarkably reliable. He had 10 sacks for the Raiders in 2021 and has logged at least eight sacks in every single campaign as a pro.
Last season, he had 9.5 sacks and 27 quarterback pressures before landing on injured reserve following throat surgery.
Other rotational pass-rushers to consider include Arden Key, Samson Ebukam and Dante Fowler Jr.
Quarterback
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This is the big one. With Carr gone and Jarrett Stidham headed to free agency, Las Vegas has to find a 2023 starter.
In a perfect world, it would find its next franchise quarterback in the 2023 draft—and with the seventh overall pick, a prospect such as Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Florida's Anthony Richardson is a possibility.
As Ziegler noted, though, there's no guarantee of finding a signal-caller of the future this offseason.
"We're in charge of filling the most important position on the team," Ziegler told the Bussin' With the Boys podcast (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "There's some pressure that comes along with that. And however we fill it, it doesn't mean we're going to have an immediate answer this year."
Whether the Raiders wait to draft a quarterback or not, they must find a reliable bridge for the coming season. An injury-prone signal-caller like Jimmy Garoppolo should not be under serious consideration, but fellow former New England Patriot Jacoby Brissett would make perfect sense.
Like Garoppolo, Brissett played under McDaniels in New England. He was a solid starter for the Cleveland Browns in 2022, finishing with a solid 88.9 passer rating. He should have a fairly strong market among quarterback-needy teams, but the Raiders should make him an early priority.
Re-signing Stidham would also be logical, and Las Vegas could turn to quarterbacks such as Mike White or Baker Mayfield if Brissett and Stidham can't be had.
*Cap information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.
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