Mailbag: How can Raiders address offensive line in free agency?

Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week

Free agency is just around the corner as the franchise tag window officially opened this week and the NFL Combine kicks off on Tuesday. So, let’s dive into some offseason topics with this week’s Las Vegas Raiders mailbag.

Question: How would you go about addressing RT/G in Free Agency? While QB is need #1, the trenches might be a 1B need with either a statue AOC or a young QB at the helm and Josh Jacobs potentially walking.

Answer: The good news is a young quarterback — whether it’s Aidan O’Connell or a rookie — gives the Raiders some flexibility to spend a little more money on a non-premium position like right guard or tackle. They have plenty of cap space this offseason and won’t be burdened by one player eating up $40 million or more of the funds available for the next four years.

So, my top target in free agency for the trenches is Mike Onwenu from the Patriots. Pro Football Focus is projecting him to get a four-year contract worth $14.5 million per year, which is a lot, but he also can play either guard or tackle to give Las Vegas some flexibility up front.

After Onwenu, the Rams’ Kevin Dotson is an intriguing option and so is Robert Hunt from the Dolphins, but those two are strictly guards. Hunt did play some right tackle as a rookie but he’s better on the interior and that’s been his primary position over the last three years.

The right tackle market in free agency isn’t good, so I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing back Jermaine Eluemunor on another short-term, cheaper deal if he’s willing to do that.

Circling back to my original point, the more aggressive the Raiders are in free agency, the easier it is to justify trading up for a quarterback in the draft. Obviously, the more holes they can fill one March means they won’t need as many draft picks to complete the roster. The organization will have to open up the checkbook, though.

Q: If Jayden Daniels starts to slide, should the Raiders stay at 13 and take him?

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

A: Hypothetically, if they want Daniels and he starts to slide, the Raiders are still going to have to trade up to get ahead of the Falcons with the No. 8 pick. Also, the Vikings (No. 11) and Broncos (No. 12) are in the market for a quarterback, so Las Vegas would still have to be aggressive if the Heisman Trophy winner falls out of the top three picks. The good news is the price tag would be much cheaper, though.

Q: Do you see Tom Telesco as an upgrade at drafting higher caliber starters than the last 15 years of ex-Raiders GMs? The talent level on the Chargers seems significantly better than the bungled drafts the Raiders have had (the three wasted first-round picks in 2019 still stings).

A: Telesco is definitely better at hitting on first-round picks than the Raiders’ recent general managers. Of his 12 first-rounders with the Chargers, six have made at least one Pro Bowl and that doesn’t include wide receiver Mike Williams who is a very good player and a quality starter.

In that regard, the only recent Raiders GM who can give Telesco a run for his money is Reggie McKenzie. McKenzie only had six first-round selections during his tenure, but he hit on three of them with Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and Kolton Miller. Then Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock took over and, well, you know…

Telesco also has a decent track record in round two with Denzel Perryman — granted, Perryman was better with other teams — Hunter Henry, Uchenna Nwosu, Asante Samuel Jr. and Tuli Tuipulotu. He’s also been a part of front offices that have drafted some pretty good quarterbacks in Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Justin Herbert. It’s the later picks and adding depth that Telesco typically struggles with.

Q: Is it viable for the Raiders to trade all the way up to #1 then trade with either the Commanders or Patriots to recoup some draft capital and assure themselves one of the top 3 QBs?

A: I don’t think it’s viable. As soon as Las Vegas makes an offer to Chicago, Ryan Poles will likely be calling Washington and New England to let them know that Las Vegas is trying to leapfrog them for a quarterback and see if they’re willing to make an offer. So, if those two teams aren’t willing to give the Bears enough to stop that from happening, I don’t see them changing their minds after the Raiders get the pick.

Also, I don’t think that would make much sense for the Raiders. If they’re trading up to No. 1, that means there’s a quarterback that they really like and want to go after. At that point, the return for moving back a couple of spots isn’t worth the risk of not getting the guy they want, in my opinion.

Q: Looking at Raiders.com, the coaching staff still has Josh McDaniels people listed. Is former HC Hue Jackson going to be a special adviser? Hope so – great offensive mind. When are they going to show us AP’s staff?

A: The Raiders recently updated their website with the new coaching staff and Hue Jackson was not on it.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported on Feb. 8 that the team was “ironing out a role [for Jackson] to help Getsy with the offense”. However, there has been no news beyond that. So, it seems like Jackson is not going to be on the coaching staff barring a change over the next weeks.

Q: If the draft appears to fall the way that most believe it will: 3 QBs gone, maybe 4, before we pick, and likely 2-3 tackles as well, who stands out to you as the best overall player that is also a team fit from a schematic, position, and character standpoint? I’ve seen Arnold, Fuaga, Latham, Murphy, and Newton all mentioned for the Raiders. Who are you taking? And does McCarthy being available make you immediately turn the card in?

A: With no quarterbacks available, I’d lean toward taking Terrion Arnold 13th overall. That fills a big need at cornerback without being a reach, and I really like Arnold’s game and potential to grow into a No. 1 corner.

For JJ McCarthy, I would take him with the 13th pick. He’s not a perfect prospect and has a few things to working as far as processing and seeing the whole field, but McCarthy really grew on me while breaking down his tape. He has plenty of talent to work with and eventually become a starting quarterback in the NFL.

While I’d be hesitant to trade up and lose assets for him, if the Michigan product is available without having to do that, I’m all aboard.

Q: Why don’t the Raiders trade Jimmy Garoppolo, Hunter Renforw and the 13th pick to the New England Patriots for the third pick in the first round?

A: Because the Patriots would hang up the phone.

Everyone knows the Raiders are going to release those two, so they don’t have much trade value, if any, especially with their current contacts. And now that Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the season, other teams really aren’t going to want him.

A: Brittain Brown got injured during training camp last season and didn’t end up making the roster nor did he play in the preseason. The Raiders never disclosed what his injury was and there have been no updates other than that, so I don’t have any new news on Brown.

I’d be happy with Las Vegas’ backfield if Zamir White is the lead back and they add someone who can play on third downs in the offseason. Assuming he’s healthy, Brown was impressive enough in the 2022 preseason for me to be comfortable with him serving as the third rusher in a committee approach at running back. Having White, a third-down back and Brown would keep me from worrying too much about the position.

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

For Jacobs, his value is listed at three years and $11.5 million per year by PFF and four years at $10.6 million per year via Spotrac. So, if he’s willing to take about half of that and one to two fewer years, absolutely bring him back! I just don’t see that happening.

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A: I’m not a big fan of older quarterback prospects who are still raw and need to develop, so I can’t say I’m thrilled about the idea of targeting Joe Milton. He has the arm strength, size and athleticism, but Milton still struggles to throw with touch and accuracy. He’s been in college for six years and at two good programs — Michigan and Tennessee — so it’s hard for me to buy into the thought that he’ll put it all together in the pros.

As far as trading back though, it would depend on who is on the board but I wouldn’t mind the idea of adding more picks. The Raiders only have three selections in the top 100 right now, so I could be sold on the idea of adding another if the pursuit of a quarterback falls through and the options aren’t great at 13.

A: I think the Raiders definitely want to move into the top three, especially given Antonio Pierce’s relationship with Jayden Daniels. With the head coach likely vouching and pounding the table for a player, it’s easier for Telesco to justify/rationalize giving up a haul for said player. However, it’s more a matter of whether those teams are willing to budge.

Also, I know Mark Davis doesn’t meddle too much, but he can’t be thrilled about the fact that the previous regime had a chance to be aggressive and trade up for C.J. Stroud but opted to pass. So, I could see Davis encouraging or at least giving his blessing on splurging for the No. 1 overall pick given how last year played out.

A: I’ll name three of each.

OL: Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State, JC Latham from Alabama and Cooper Beebe from Kansas State.

DL: Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton and the Texas duo of Byron Muphy II and T’Vondre Sweat.

A: Most general managers draft with their coach’s scheme in mind, so I wouldn’t put much weight into what type of players Telesco has drafted in the past and say that he can’t make good picks on another style of player. Also, below is a quote from Telesco during his introductory press conference that could ease your concerns.

When I said “partnership,” it’s a partnership. Obviously, there’s a lot of people that are part of the process. You’ve got a scouting staff and a coaching staff. You kind of bring it all together in the end and make decisions. But as far as building the roster, you’re working through the vision of the head coach. How does he want to play on offense, how does he want to play on defense, how does he want to play on special teams, and you build it that way. There’s a lot of discussions; you work through things. We’re going to be able to bounce ideas off each other. As far as roster construction, there’s no one specific way to build a team.

A: This is fluid, but I’ll take a quick stab at making a few free-agency predictions. Contract projections are via PFF.

1. DT Leonard Willaims (projected: 3yrs, $51.75 million)
2. OL Mike Onwenu (projected: 4 yrs, $58 million)
3. CB Chidobe Awuzie (projected: 2 yrs, $21 million

A: Should do, sign Leonard Williams and use a Day 2 pick on Ruke Orhorhoro who has a lot of traits but needs development. Will do, probably piss me off by signing one-dimensional aging veterans like A’Shawn Robinson and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

I know the latter is very pessimistic but I like taking the approach of assuming the worst with the Raiders’ offseason so I don’t get let down as much! And yes, that’s sarcasm, kind of…

That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.