Should Raiders jump in a loaded safety market?

Tre’Von Moehrig, Marcus Epps give Las Vegas two starters, but competition makes everyone better

Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps give the Las Vegas Raiders a capable duo in the defensive backfield at safety. The former is a young safety coming into his own while the latter is the heady veteran that gets the defensive backs aligned as a key communicator.

The team also has a pair of younger talent at the position group in Isaiah Pola-Mao and Chris Smith II — the first an undrafted free agent and the second a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Pola-Mao is a free agent but of the exclusive rights variety, meaning if Las Vegas extends him a tender/offer, the 24-year-old has to accept or move on from the game of football.

Thus, the safety position seems the least of the Raiders worries. They have two starters in Moehrig and Epps and have Pola-Mao and Smith II as depth. Yet, the free agent market is loaded with talented safeties. And it beckons the question of should Las Vegas jump into the fray and make a play in free agency?

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More competition and depth doesn’t hurt — especially a Raiders team with ample camp space of about $42 million. More coin can become available if general manager Tom Telesco is inclined to move on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, amongst other potential cuts. A free agent along with Pola-Mao and Smith pushing for more snaps keeps both Moehrig and Epps on their toes and that competition can make everyone better.

The safety market in the NFL is an interesting one as several moving parts occurred Tuesday with two players getting tagged while a trio of veterans became cap casualties. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots tagged Antoine Winfield Jr. and Kyle Dugger, respectively, taking the arguably the top two players slated to hit the market off the board with tags. Veterans Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams were waxed by the Seattle Seahawks. Ditto for Rayshawn Jenkins as the Jacksonville Jaguars released the veteran starter.

That’s just the latest example of pay and importance at the position group is volatile and influx, but without a backend enforcer or takeaway artists, defenses would be in dire straits.

Let’s explore the free agent safeties who make a difference in Las Vegas:

Rayshawn Jenkins: Telesco drafted the Miami product in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and is familiar with what Jenkins brings to the table. The 30-year-old played nearly all the defensive snaps for Jacksonville the last two season (97 percent and 99 percent) and was productive in coverage (five interceptions and 21 passes defensed) and as a tackler (217 total tackles). Signed to a four-year, $35 million deal from the Chargers during the 2021 offseason, Jenkins found himself a cap casualty. He would be a productive veteran presence who can compete and add depth in Las Vegas. Jenkins age will likely make him a more cost-effective add to the Silver & Black.

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Kamren Curl: He just turned 25 and flies under the radar due to draft pedigree (seventh round in 2020) and team he plays for (Washington Commanders), but Curl is a late-round gem. He’s an aggressive and reliable run defender and tackler (115 total in 2023) and he can be an asset in pass coverage, too. He can play either free or strong safety and has good size at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds. The San Diego-native is likely to command a rich deal in free agency due to age and production (Spotrac projects an annual average of $14.4 million). He’s also a good communicator on the backend and would basically be a younger and more productive Epps for the Raiders.

Xavier McKinney: Still just 24, this 2020 second-rounder is a combo safety like his lower drafted classmate Curl. He can play the deep rover in pass coverage (three interceptions and 11 pass deflections this past year) or in the box with his aggressive nature (116 total tackles) despite not being the biggest safety at 6 feet and 201 pounds. Spotrac projects McKinney to land a deal that pays him $10.4 million annually, which is starter coin. Yet he’s also capable of playing at either safety spot and has the production to boot.

Alohi Gilman: Another dip in the Telesco familiarity well, this 26-year-old was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 draft by the Bolts. He’s not the biggest safety on the block at 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds but he is a stingy defender in pass coverage. He’s a deep cover man or can play the middle of the field and only allowed 63 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed to go along with two interceptions and 10 passes defensed in 2023. He also had a career-high 73 total tackles for Los Angeles this past season. Projected to earn an annual average of $6.66 million by Over The Cap, Gilman looks like he’ll earn a similar deal Epps did in Las Vegas (two years, $12 million).