Raiders' Team Needs to Fill in 2022 NFL Free Agency

The Las Vegas Raiders are in relatively good shape heading into NFL free agency, which kicks off March 16.

Las Vegas has its head coach in Josh McDaniels. It has a quarterback in Derek Carr who has shown he can take the team to the postseason. The Raiders are armed with the 22nd overall pick in April's draft and have a projected $19.8 million in available cap space.

However, Las Vegas also has some needs to address this offseason. The Raiders could use another playmaking receiver, need to upgrade their 19th-ranked run defense and have some impending free agents who need to be either re-signed or replaced.

Notable players headed to market include backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, linebacker K.J. Wright and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

The Raiders can't fill every need in the draft, so here we will examine three positions that should be filled before then via free agency.

Cornerback

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If the Raiders are going to spend big on any one position, it should be cornerback. While Las Vegas was a respectable 13th against the pass in 2021, it also ranked dead last with a mere six interceptions. Fortunately, a couple of premier playmaking corners are slated to be available.

J.C. Jackson, who logged eight interceptions and a league-high 23 passes defended, is among those players. He also happens to come from the New England Patriots, just like McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.

Just as importantly, Jackson isn't expected to receive the franchise tag from New England. Mike Reiss of ESPN called the chances of him getting the tag "low."

Other quality corners like Carlton Davis, Rasul Douglas and Donte Jackson are also expected to hit the open market. None of them will be particularly cheap, but if the Raiders can significantly improve their turnover rate by signing one of them, it would make a ton of sense.

Las Vegas is looking to do more than just make the postseason in 2022. It's looking to make a deep run. Having more playmaking ability in the secondary would be a major asset in the playoffs.

Linebacker

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Wright was a valuable rotational piece in 2021—despite making only two starts, he finished with 51 tackles—and re-signing him would be a logical move. However, Las Vegas should look to further bolster its linebacker corps with veteran talent.

The Raiders ranked 19th in rushing yards allowed and 23rd in rushing touchdowns allowed (18) this past season.

If Las Vegas is willing to spend on its secondary, a budget linebacker like Anthony Walker Jr. would make perfect sense. The Cleveland Browns run-stopper amassed 113 total tackles, 69 solo stops and two passes defended in 2021. He's also expected to be available at a low price point, with Pro Football Focus projecting Walker to earn just $4 million annually.

Were the Raiders willing to spend a bit more at linebacker, Dont'a Hightower could make sense. He's another Patriots product, and PFF expects him to earn $7.5 million annually.

Las Vegas will have linebacker options in free agency, and it needs to take advantage. Only three off-ball linebackers are ranked inside the top 32 prospects on the latest Bleacher Report Scouting Department big board.

Backup Quarterback

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Can the Raiders look to draft and develop a quarterback behind Carr? Absolutely. However, they should be looking to fill more immediate needs early in the draft and should find their primary backup quarterback in free agency.

Having a seasoned quarterback as an understudy is valuable for any team with playoff aspirations. If Carr is forced to miss time, turning over the keys to an unpolished late-round rookie could doom Las Vegas' postseason chances.

Re-signing Mariota makes the most sense, as he's spent two years with the Raiders. Other quarterback options include Tyrod Taylor, Jacoby Brissett and Mitchell Trubisky.

Brissett is a particularly intriguing option, as he played under McDaniels with the Patriots during his rookie season.

Regardless of whom the Raiders tab to be their backup, it would behoove them to add some starting experience behind Carr. Fortunately, that shouldn't be an overly expensive challenge. Brissett, for example, is projected to earn a deal worth $6 million annually by Pro Football Focus.

                   

Cap and contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.