Oakland Raiders: 5 Free Agents the Team Must Avoid

Dec 16, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle

(71) blocks Baltimore Ravens defensive end

(99) during the game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Canty (DE)

At 6’7”, 317 lbs., Chris Canty takes up a lot of real estate along the defensive front. A fourth round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2005 draft, Canty was said to be mulling retirement after the 2014 season ended. But reports have him working out with every intention of playing in 2015.

If Canty does wind up playing in 2015, it’s not going to be with Baltimore as the Ravens cut him in a money saving move. He’d been slated to make nearly $3 million dollars in 2015, but injuries limited him to just 11 games last season, and he notched just 35 tackles and half a sack for the year.

Canty will turn 33 during the season, and coupled with his severely declining production, signing him would likely give the Raiders a return on investment on par with what they got from signing LaMarr Woodley in 2014 – which is to say, little to nothing.

Some may clamor for a veteran like Canty to join Oakland’s defensive front, but that is an area the Raiders must get younger and far more effective than they’ve been in seasons past. With Justin Ellis showing himself to be a possible building block for the future, along with the veteran leadership of Justin Tuck, if Oakland’s brain trust thought about it, they would hopefully see that it makes no sense to offer up a contract to an aging player in decline such as Canty.

Next: With a Need at the Position, Raiders Should Look at AJ Hawk