Oakland Raiders: One Man's Trash Not Always Another Man's Treasure

The Oakland Raiders are in desperate need of a solid starting cornerback as they rebuild their secondary – but they should avoid Antonio Cromartie at all costs.

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With a fortune to spend this offseason – and plenty of holes that need to be filled – the Oakland Raiders are being connected with any and all high profile free agents to hit the market. And apparently, Antonio Cromartie is still considered a high profile free agent. At least to some. We know some still consider him a high profile free agent because of the sheer number of articles speculating about whether the Raiders are interested in Cromartie or if they should take a look at him as the team overhauls its secondary this offseason.

Let’s make this as simple as possible – the Raiders should stay far, far, far away from Antonio Cromartie.

After a 2015 season in which the Raiders, in large part, saw their secondary getting lit up more often than a pinball machine, the goal for the team this offseason is to target players – be it through free agency or the draft – who can improve the secondary. Knowing that’s the goal, it’s hard to fathom why anybody might think that Cromartie would improve a porous secondary – especially after seeing him play the last couple of seasons.

Let’s not forget that Cromartie was manning one of the corner spots when the Raiders played the Jets this past November. If you recall that game, you’ll remember that Derek Carr felt comfortable enough to go straight at Cromartie all game long. He victimized the veteran corner on several big plays in a game the Raiders dominated. Against Cromartie and the Jets, Carr threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns and generally made the veteran look really, really bad.

While some have asserted that Cromartie was simply a victim of the salary cap – the Jets will save eight million dollars in cap space by releasing him – the truth of the matter is that Cromartie simply wasn’t good enough to warrant the high price tag of keeping him. Or possibly even a roster spot. And Jets head coach Todd Bowles didn’t mince words when discussing Cromartie’s release.

"“We looked at the tape. And after we looked at the tape, he didn’t have the greatest year, but he played with a lot of injuries, to his credit.”"

Though Bowles did say that it’s possible Cromartie could return on a much reduced contract, he seemed far from certain about it. “There’s a chance he could come back. We’ll see how it goes down the line, but there’s a chance.”

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If you read between the lines of what Bowles is saying, it sounds like he’s acknowledging the fact that Cromartie doesn’t have much – if anything – left in the tank, but he doesn’t have the heart to drive a stake into the heart of his NFL dreams.

Cromartie will be 32 years old in April. And his play has declined considerably. While the Raiders have need of veteran leadership, they have a more pressing need for guys who can still play their positions. If this were five or six years ago, the Raiders would have done well to snatch him up. Back then, Cromartie could have helped the Oakland secondary.

But it isn’t five or six years and Cromartie is playing like a guy who doesn’t have anything left to give. He had zero interceptions in 2015 – the first year since his rookie campaign in 2006 that he was held without a pick. He also accounted for just 29 tackles on the season – his lowest total since his rookie season.

The Raiders need to get younger and better in the secondary if they hope to be competitive in 2016. Cromartie was once a very good talent, but the years have taken their toll on him and his skills are diminished. It just seems to be fact that he is nowhere near the same player he used to be.

Next: 5 Players Raiders Should Target In First Round

With a lot of talent out there – in free agency as well as the draft – the Raiders shouldn’t settle for a player like Cromartie. A player whose contributions will be limited. At best. Yes, they have a ton of cap space and even if he were amenable to a very team friendly deal, the Raiders can’t afford to give up the roster spot Cromartie would take up when they can bring in younger and more productive talent.

While the old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure isn’t entirely without merit – look no further than last season’s acquisition of David Amerson as evidence of that – it’s a saying that isn’t always true. And picking up Antonio Cromartie would be evidence of that. Which is why the Raiders should avoid him like the plague.

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Oakland Raiders: One Man’s Trash Not Always Another Man’s Treasure

By Kevin Saito | Feb 25, 2016

The Oakland Raiders are in desperate need of a solid starting cornerback as they rebuild their secondary – but they should avoid Antonio Cromartie at all costs.

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