Rodney Hudson Must Be First of Many Upgrades for Oakland Raiders in Free Agency

The Oakland Raiders missed the opportunity to agree to deals with top free agents Ndamukong Suh, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin and Jerry Hughes during the NFL’s three-day negotiating window prior to the start of free agency on Tuesday. Even with nearly $70 million in salary-cap space, a talent-starved roster and a desperate general manager, the Raiders couldn’t make a splash.

After making fans nervous for a repeat of 2014, the Raiders agreed to a five-year, front-loaded deal with center Rodney Hudson worth $44.5 million, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com. That’s $8.9 million per year for a center upgrade for Stefen Wisniewski, who was hardly the problem in Oakland.

At least the Raiders have joined the race for players, but Hudson must be the first of many upgrades. The Raiders simply must continue to add quality players in free agency to improve the roster and move toward the spending minimum mandated by the collective bargaining agreement.

Although not as splashy as other signings would have been, Hudson is a good player and fills a big need. One of the major problems in Oakland last year was the offensive line. The Raiders had the most trouble running the ball, which put the pressure on quarterback Derek Carr and his lackluster set of wide receivers.

Stat	Yards Per Carry	Yards Per Game	PFF Rush	PFF Run Block	PFF Pass Block
2014	3.7	77.5	-18.7	-46.4	-15.7
Rank	27	32	31	30	12
2013	4.6	125	2.8	-34.3	-23.5
Rank	6	12	20T	29	24

By signing Hudson, the Raiders are wisely building a safety net for Carr. The Raiders will be in position to add a wide receiver in the draft, but they may not have the opportunity to draft linemen who are any better than those they already have.

Hudson is also an ascending player and was by far the best center available in free agency. Last year, Hudson was Pro Football Focus’ third best center. In 2013, Hudson was in the middle of the pack but didn’t grade out negatively in pass protection, run blocking or screen blocking.

By contrast, Wisniewski was solid blocking for the run in 2013, but he declined in 2014 across the board. He also committed seven penalties last year and had too many errant snaps.

Player	Year	Pass Block	Screen Block	Run Block	Penalty
Difference	2013-2014	+11.5	+3.0	-8.1	+2.1
Hudson	2014	4.2	2.5	4.7	1.6
Wisniewski	2014	-5.6	1.0	3.5	-1.4
Difference	2014	+9.8	+1.5	+1.2	+3.0
Hudson	2013	2.2	2.0	0.7	-0.5
Wisniewski	2013	0.5	0.5	10.0	0.4
Difference	2013	+1.7	+1.5	-9.3	-0.9

New head coach Jack Del Rio may have been unimpressed by Wisniewski, who had his two worst games against his defense last year. By contrast, Hudson was solid in his games against the Denver Broncos.

By signing Hudson, the Raiders also weakened a divisional foe. The Chiefs had a bad offensive line in 2014, and Hudson was the lone bright spot. Unlike many free agents who hit the market for a reason, the Chiefs actually wanted Hudson back, but they had to give the franchise tag to outside linebacker Justin Houston and didn’t have enough cap space to compete with the Raiders’ best offer.

It’s not a bad start for the Raiders despite whiffing early on Suh and Cobb. Even if they had landed a higher-profile player, they couldn’t stop there. They especially can’t stop after signing just a center, even if Hudson was the first to agree to a deal and ends up getting the most money from the Raiders.  

Unlike last year, there are still plenty of free agents 28 and under for the Raiders to sign. Last year the Raiders needed to hit on all their signings, but bringing in so many older players made that virtually impossible. Left tackle Donald Penn and defensive end Justin Tuck played well, but beyond that, the results weren’t pretty.

For the second year in a row, the Raiders seem focused on building from the inside out in free agency. This year, it could give them the freedom to add young playmakers in the draft.

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After missing out on Suh, the Raiders were interested in defensive tackle Jared Odrick, who agreed to a deal in Jacksonville, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. The Raiders have also long been the favorites to sign defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, who still has interest from three other teams, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

The Raiders will also continue their focus on the offensive line. According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Raiders are hot after offensive guard Mike Iupati, who was an All-Pro in 2012.

If signed, Iupati would likely play left guard, with Gabe Jackson moving over to right guard. The Raiders already announced Austin Howard would be moving back to right tackle and that the surprisingly solid Penn would be back at left tackle for another year.

With Hudson at its center, the Raiders would have the makings of a solid offensive line if they can get Iupati. They also have a young running back with potential in Latavius Murray and can easily find another running back to complement him.

With the line solidified, the Raiders can focus on defense and finding weapons for Carr.

Even with Knighton and Iupati, the Raiders would still have multiple needs. The Raiders badly need an inside linebacker after Nick Roach was released due to ongoing concussion-related symptoms. They also need a pass-rusher opposite Khalil Mack, a safety and a cornerback.

The Raiders have the money to find quality options at each spot instead of veteran stopgaps. Hudson is one such quality option. Iupati and Knighton are two more, but they wouldn’t have to stop there.

According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, the Raiders have made a preliminary inquiry on safety Da’Norris Searcy, who could replace Tyvon Branch. Searcy would be yet another solid young player, or the Raiders could also look into safety Rahim Moore, who played under Del Rio in Denver.  

Hudson, Iupati, Knighton and Searcy might not be splashy or sexy, but they would be much-needed upgrades at positions of need. They are the type of players the Raiders need to help them win on the field, which is much more important than winning free agency.

While the Raiders didn’t make the big splash we expected, they are at least looking at the right players. They also seem to have a good chance to sign them now that a few top guys are off the market.

Hudson is a good signing, but McKenzie must continue to close deals for others. The future of the team and his job probably depends on bringing in talent that actually produces on the field—not just big names.