Free Agents Raiders Should Pursue After 2023 NFL Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders have spent the early offseason turning over the roster as head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler see fit. Old faces like Derek Carr, Darren Waller and Rock Ya-Sin are out. Players like Jimmy Garoppolo, David Long Jr. and rookie first-round pick Tyree Wilson are in.

The reality is that this is the first year of the new regime's true rebuild—after running it back with Carr and Co. failed to yield a return postseason trip. Players like Wilson, rookie tight end Michael Mayer and rookie cornerback Jakorian Bennett can be part of the future. Players like Garoppolo, Long and tight end Austin Hooper can serve as bridges to that future.

More pieces should be added to an evolving roster that won just six games last season. Las Vegas might not be chasing a championship in 2023, but it should hope to be competitive. With $16.1 million in cap space remaining, the Raiders can and should look to free agents to accomplish that goal.

With this in mind, let's examine three remaining veteran free agents Las Vegas should target and why.

Edge Leonard Floyd

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 25: Leonard Floyd #54 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

The Raiders should be relatively set on offense, with players like Garoppolo, Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, Hooper and Mayer making for a very impressive group.

Las Vegas can and should, however, put more work into a defense that ranked poorly in most metrics last season. The Raiders ranked 23rd in yards per rush allowed (4.5), 28th in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.7), 28th in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed.

The Raiders also produced a mere 27 sacks despite having a respectable tandem in Chandler Jones and Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby on the edge. Wilson will help the pass rush as a rotational edge who can also kick inside.

"He'd be a good fit as a 5- to 4i-technique in even or odd fronts and can even slide a little further inside to a 3-tech on occasion with his impressive strength," Matt Holder of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote.

However, it wouldn't hurt to add another sack artist to the mix.

Leonard Floyd, who logged nine sacks and 31 quarterback pressures with the Los Angeles Rams last season, would be a logical free-agent target. He's on the older side, like Jones, but can still get it done as a pressure man.

Adding a player like Jones would allow Las Vegas to field a quality four-man edge-rushing rotation, which would help tremendously while Wilson recovers from his foot injury and gets acclimated to the NFL.

CB Casey Hayward

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Casey Hayward #29 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Adding to the pass rush should help Las Vegas coverage on the back end. However, it would be a great idea to continue building depth at the cornerback positions. The Raiders have already taken some swings there, adding the likes of Long, Duke Shelley and Bennett, but too much cornerback depth isn't a thing.

The Raiders should strongly consider reuniting with cornerback Casey Hayward. The new regime didn't bring him back in 2022, and Hayward signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.

However, Hayward was a Raider in 2021, and the Falcons let him go just one year into his free-agent contract.

In Las Vegas, Hayward was a dependable 17-game starter who recorded 46 tackles, nine passes defended and an interception. He only played six games with the Falcons before being lost to a shoulder injury, but he was again solid, allowing an opposing passer rating of only 80.7 in coverage.

Hayward hasn't allowed an opposing passer rating above 94.0 in any of the last five seasons.

The caveat is that McDaniels and Ziegler may not be excited about bringing back a player they didn't retain a year ago; adding Hayward could help give young defensive backs like Bennett and undrafted free agent Jordan Perryman time to develop.

LB Kyle Van Noy

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 26: Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (8) waits for play to resume during the NFL football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts on December 26, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While McDaniels and Ziegler might not be eager to bring back former Raiders, they've had no qualms about adding former New England Patriots players like Garoppolo, Meyers, Brandon Bolden and Brian Hoyer—and with both coming from New England, that's not a shock.

This is only part of the reason why former Patriots—and most recently of the rival Los Angeles Chargers—linebacker Kyle Van Noy would make sense for Las Vegas.

The other reason is that Van Noy is an experienced and versatile do-it-all defender. Over the past two seasons, he recorded 112 tackles, 72 solo stops, 10 sacks, 32 quarterback pressures, 13 passes defended, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and an interception.

Van Noy could help pressure the quarterback as a rotational edge-rusher, but he could also help bolster Las Vegas' woeful run defense. Even after adding Robert Spillane and rookie Amari Burney at linebacker, there's a need for depth at the position.

The 32-year-old Van Noy could bring a lot of experience to Las Vegas' young defense, help fill multiple roles and help McDaniels continue instilling his culture in the Raiders roster.

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*Cap and contract information via Spotrac. Advanced Statistics from Pro Football Reference.