Raiders' Last-Minute Guide to 2022 NFL Free Agency

It's already been a busy offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders. They hired Dave Ziegler as general manager, brought in Josh McDaniels to be their head coach and signed defensive end Maxx Crosby to a four-year extension. Now, it's time for them to start adding to their roster for 2022.

NFL free agency is set to begin Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, with the legal tampering period beginning 48 hours prior to that on Monday. For the Raiders, they have a large number of players who are now free agents, so they have some substantial holes to fill on their roster.

Las Vegas went 10-7 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. If it can make the right moves this offseason, it could improve upon that record and perform even better moving forward.

Here's a last-minute free-agency guide for the Raiders with the offseason about to ramp up.

Cap Situation

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2022 NFL Cap: $208.2 million

Cap Space: $31.8 million, per Over the Cap

The Raiders have been making moves to clear cap space, as they recently released linebacker Cory Littleton and restructured the contracts of running back Kenyan Drake and offensive tackle Kolton Miller. They may not be done making those types of moves, either, so it's possible they'll create even more cap space soon.

This will be Ziegler's first time serving as a general manager after working in various roles for the New England Patriots from 2013-21. He was part of a successful franchise there, so it will be interesting to see what he learned and the moves he makes to open his tenure as GM.

With roster holes to fill on both sides of the ball, Las Vegas will need to do its best to use its financial flexibility in a way that it can bring in enough players to occupy those spots. So there will be numerous routes the team could go to address its needs.

Notable Free Agents

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• DT Johnathan Hankins
• QB Marcus Mariota
• RB Jalen Richard
• LB K.J. Wright
• DT Quinton Jefferson
• DT Solomon Thomas
• CB Casey Hayward
• WR Zay Jones
• OG Richie Incognito
• WR DeSean Jackson
• C Nick Martin
• DT Gerald McCoy
• CB Desmond Trufant
• RB Peyton Barber

The Raiders are potentially losing a ton of depth on the interior of their defensive line, with Hankins, Jefferson, Thomas and McCoy all hitting free agency. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them bring back at least one or two of those players, or else they're going to have to pursue numerous other defensive tackles.

Other defenders such as Wright, Hayward and Trufant each spent only one season in Las Vegas and could now be on the move. But they were some solid contributors, so perhaps the Raiders will look to bring at least one of them back for 2022.

It will be interesting to see whether Mariota returns to the Raiders to again serve as the backup to Derek Carr after spending the past two seasons in that role. Perhaps the 28-year-old will sign elsewhere to try to get a better opportunity to start. If so, Las Vegas will need to sign a backup QB this offseason.

The Raiders will also be losing depth at both running back and wide receiver if players such as Richard, Barber, Jones and/or Jackson don't come back.

Biggest Needs and Potential Targets

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Wide Receivers

Hunter Renfrow had a strong performance last season, making the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, but the Raiders need to add more playmakers to line up alongside him. Bryan Edwards has yet to break out through two NFL seasons, while Jones and Jackson are both hitting the free-agent market.

If Las Vegas signs one of the top available wide receivers, its offense could reach a new level of production. Allen Robinson II and JuJu Smith-Schuster are strong options, while Christian Kirk and DJ Chark Jr. could also be WRs worth pursuing. It's likely that the Raiders will need to sign multiple receivers for depth if neither Jones nor Jackson returns.

Offensive Linemen

Las Vegas needs to get stronger up front, even if veteran guard Richie Incognito decides to re-sign with the team. Alex Leatherwood played both guard and tackle as a rookie last season, so the Raiders will have to choose where he fits best and then fill in the holes around him.

It seems more likely that Leatherwood will start at right guard, which means Las Vegas will need to find a starting right tackle. One player who may be worth targeting is Morgan Moses, who has been a consistent performer throughout his eight-year NFL career, including last season with the New York Jets.

Defensive Tackles

It's clear why the Raiders need to bolster the interior of their defensive line, as they could be losing anybody from the group of Hankins, Jefferson, Thomas and McCoy. Perhaps Las Vegas will bring some of them back and this will no longer be a need for the team.

But as of right now, it's one of the Raiders' top needs, considering all of those players are set to hit the market. If Las Vegas can re-sign several of them, perhaps it will wait to add depth on the defensive line in the 2022 NFL draft, rather than spend more money on the unit.

Cornerbacks

With Hayward and Trufant set to hit free agency, the Raiders need to bring in some cornerbacks to fill the holes in their secondary. Both of them are now well into their 30s, so perhaps Las Vegas will also decide to try to get younger at the position this offseason.

J.C. Jackson is the best CB on the market, but he'll likely land a sizable deal. If the Raiders are willing to spend, he'd provide a tremendous boost. If they don't want to eat up quite as much cap space, perhaps they go for somebody like Charvarius Ward, who will also be 26 at the start of the season. That would also keep the AFC West-rival Kansas City Chiefs from bringing him back.