Oakland Raiders: With Franchise Tags Applied, McKenzie Should Pounce

The Oakland Raiders, with all of the franchise tags around the league applied, find themselves in a good spot to sign a high impact cornerback as free agency gets set to begin.

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As Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie looks around today, he finds himself in a pretty sweet spot. He’s got a young team on the rise, is sitting on a mountain of cash – and thanks to league rules, has a mandate to spend a good chunk of it. And with a couple of high impact cornerbacks set to hit the market, McKenzie can help turn Oakland’s defense move to another level by signing one of them – the only real question is, which one?

The Kansas City Chiefs elected to use the franchise tag on safety Eric Berry, leaving cornerback Sean Smith to test the open market. And the now-Los Angeles Rams elected to tag Trumaine Johnson rather than Janoris Jenkins – which has left him bitter, angry, and also on the open market. Both are going to draw big interest around the league and will receive big paydays, there is no doubt.

And it’s on McKenzie to open up his checkbook and make sure one of the two of them winds up wearing Silver and Black.

David Amerson was far and away, Oakland’s best cornerback last year. With 57 tackles, four interceptions, and 25 passes defensed, Amerson proved that Washington blew it by casting him aside and gave the Raiders a big spark of life. With Amerson in the starting lineup, Oakland’s secondary played much better down the stretch, though they still checked in as the league’s twenty-sixth ranked passing defense, giving up a tick under 260 yards per game.

But it seems fair to say that Amerson is the only one who seems pretty well guaranteed a starting spot in 2016. Now it’s up to McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio to find somebody to start opposite him.

Of Oakland’s other corners – Travis Carrie, D.J. Hayden, Keith McGill, and Neiko Thorpe – Carrie is the only one who seemed capable of playing the position, showing some good flashes now and then. But even Carrie was far too inconsistent to be considered the heir apparent to the position. It’s possible that with a full offseason of work, Carrie might round into a solid corner.

But the Raiders can’t really afford to take a wait and see approach. They need an impact corner and they needed him yesterday.

Also, since he did a reasonably good job holding down that fort when Nate Allen went down with an injury, moving Carrie to the safety spot might not be a bad idea. At worst, Carrie will likely be penciled in as the slot corner ahead of Hayden, McGill, and Thorpe – assuming all three are still on the roster when the season starts.

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Which brings us back to Oakland’s pressing need for a solid cornerback who can complement Amerson on the other side and help make the Raiders secondary a no fly zone for opposing quarterbacks.

Either Jenkins or Smith would be a great get and would improve Oakland’s secondary on day one. At 27 years old, Jenkins is the younger of the two. With 64 tackles, 15 passes defensed, and three interceptions, he had a good season. Unfortunately for Jenkins, he got outshined by the seven picks and solid play of teammate Trumaine Johnson – whom the Rams elected to use the franchise tag on.

It’s clear that Jenkins is upset about the perceived lack of respect given to him by the Rams. He made that abundantly clear in a series of Tweets. That perceived lack of respect might make him a little extra motivated to prove himself and show the Rams that they did indeed tag the wrong corner – which would of course, benefit the Raiders.

The downside to Jenkins is that he stands just five foot ten, which is less than the ideal height that DC Ken Norton Jr. prefers in his corners. Still, the chip he will undoubtedly be carrying on his shoulder could fuel him to greater heights.

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Smith on the other hand, at six foot two, has the height that Norton likes. He’s just 28 years old, so it’s comparable to Jenkins. His stat line is also roughly similar as he notched 45 tackles, 12 passes defensed, and a couple of interceptions.

He doesn’t play as aggressively as Jenkins, but he is certainly smoother on the field. And his height gives him an advantage over a lot of receivers.

Both cornerbacks have their pros and cons. Both are solid and both will plug a huge, gaping hole in Oakland’s defense. And both are going to get paid very well this offseason. The choice McKenzie has to make is which one does he want to scratch out that big, fat check to?

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With the start of free agency fast approaching, McKenzie needs to identify his target and go hard at him. Or perhaps, more true to McKenzie’s history, pitch both – though more aggressively than he has with FA’s in the past – and then pick the one who is a better bargain.

Either Smith or Jenkins makes the Raiders defense better immediately. This is one of those situations where he can’t go wrong with either choice. The only wrong choice in this scenario is walking away empty handed. McKenzie has the money. Now, he needs to spread a little bit of it around.