{"id":61705,"date":"2019-03-19T18:15:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T22:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=61705"},"modified":"2019-03-19T18:15:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T22:15:53","slug":"oakland-raiders-free-agency-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/03\/19\/oakland-raiders-free-agency-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"The Oakland Raiders are 2019 Free Agency Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are\u00a0good reasons to be excited for the 2019 Oakland Raiders<\/a>. The Raiders have been in a constant state of disarray ever since\u00a0Derek Carr<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>broke his leg back in 2016. They went 6-10 in 2017 before going 4-12 under newly appointed head coach\u00a0Jon Gruden.\u00a0<\/strong>They failed to build much of a team around Carr and instead chose to sign players well past their prime.\u00a0Both\u00a0Marshawn Lynch<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Jordy Nelson<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>played big roles on the offense last year. However, new general manager\u00a0Mike Mayock<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>has made some excellent moves this offseason on both sides of the ball, and there is excitement building around the Raiders for possibly their last season in Oakland.<\/p>\n

2019 Free Agency Winners: Oakland Raiders<\/h1>\n

Offense<\/h2>\n

The Raiders and Mayock made one of the first splashes of 2019 free agency, trading for<\/a> the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> disgruntled star receiver\u00a0Antonio Brown<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Brown is perhaps the best receiver of the last five seasons. He has tallied over 1200 yards in six straight seasons, including a career-high 1,834 in 2015. He gives Derek Carr a true top receiver and should do wonders to open up Oakland’s offense.<\/p>\n

Newly signed wideout\u00a0Tyrell Williams<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>will also help on that front. Oakland signed him to a 4 year, $44 million deal to play opposite Brown. Williams is a talented downfield receiver with a huge frame and long strides. While with the\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>, he enjoyed a career year in 2016, tallying 69 catches for 1059 yards after\u00a0Keenan Allen<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>went down for the year. Together, Brown and Williams should form one of the NFL’s best wide receiver tandems.<\/p>\n

The Raiders also splurged for former\u00a0New England Patriots<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>tackle\u00a0Trent Brown<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>making him the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Behind a revamped line and a much improved wide receiver corps, Derek Carr is in line for a bounce back 2019 season, and the Raiders offense has potential to be one of the most exciting in the NFL.<\/p>\n

Defense<\/h2>\n

Mayock hasn’t done quite as much on the defensive side, but he made a couple of moves that bode well for the Raiders’ defensive prospects this season. He re-signed defensive tackle\u00a0Jonathan Hankins<\/strong> to a two-year deal. Hankins is a force on the interior of the line, and Raiders fans should be glad he’s sticking around for 2019.<\/p>\n

Oakland’s splash move on defense takes the form of safety\u00a0Lamarcus Joyner<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Joyner is a talented free safety who compiled 12 pass deflections and four picks over his last two seasons with the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams<\/a>.<\/strong> He also has some ability to play slot cornerback, so he should fit well in defensive coordinator\u00a0Paul Guenther’s<\/strong> scheme as a versatile defensive back.<\/p>\n

Draft Needs<\/h2>\n

Oakland is armed with three first-round picks in the 2019 draft. If all goes well, they can select a pass rusher with their first pick, perhaps\u00a0Kentucky’s\u00a0Josh Allen<\/a>.<\/strong> He would be a tremendous addition to a defense that struggled to force turnovers and do much of anything in 2018. The Raiders can move on and pick a linebacker or defensive back at 24. Once they’ve built a solid defensive core, they should target a running back. If\u00a0Josh Jacobs<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is there at 27, he won’t get past the Raiders. After a strong free agency and with a good draft, there is no reason the Raiders can’t compete for a playoff bid in 2019.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>