Would David DeCastro pursuit make sense for the Raiders?

The standout guard was recently released by the Pittsburgh Steelers

In a somewhat surprising move, the Pittsburgh Steelers released six-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro on Monday.

It didn’t take long for DeCastro to be connected to the Las Vegas Raiders. This week, Bleacher Report wrote a post on six teams it thinks would be a strong fit for DeCastro. The Raiders were naturally on the list.

Still, for any team interested in signing DeCastro, there are some things to consider. He is 31 and coming off a major ankle surgery. If healthy, however, DeCastro (who did allow a sack in 2020 and has only surrendered two sacks in the past four seasons) should have a market.

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I understand why Bleacher Report mentioned the Raiders. They have been major upheaval on the offensive line this offseason and DeCastro has a much better track record than expected starter Denzelle Good.

But it’s not that simple.

Surely Raiders coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock would be interested in pursuing DeCastro in a perfect world. But it is not perfect this time of year. The Raiders don’t have a much salary cap room, so other teams may be able to offer him more money at this point.

Plus, I think Las Vegas is comfortable going into the season with Good at right guard and with second-year player John Simpson having the opportunity to win the job in training camp. Ultimately, I don’t think they will feel pressed to make a run at DeCastro — but remember, Gruden considers anything that he thinks can improve the team.

So never discount a DeCastro pursuit by Las Vegas. Still, I think the Raiders may wait to make sure they feel good about their situation and at right guard and perhaps to allow DeCastro more recovery time before making a solid decision to try to sign him.