Oakland Raiders: 5 Players The Team Should Consider Pink-Slipping
By Kevin Saito
It’s no secret that the Raiders need more production from the interior of their defensive line. The lack of push up the middle and pressure allowed opposing quarterbacks to sit back and pick apart the Oakland defense.
When Dan Williams signed his deal with the Raiders, he was coming off a productive stint with the Cardinals. Though he never tallied a lot of sacks, he was known as somebody who could help collapse the pocket and put enough pressure on the quarterback that it made them incredibly uncomfortable.
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Williams’ first season in Silver and Black was good – teaming up with Justin Ellis, they provided a solid push up the middle. In his second season though, he seemed to take a step backward productivity-wise. There wasn’t much push up the middle and as was mentioned before, there was a complete lack of pressure from the interior.
Williams carries a fairly significant cap number and given the lack of production, the Raiders might be better off bidding him adieu and going younger. Stacy McGee will likely be a much more affordable option – and although he was slowed by injury, he was by far, the best interior lineman the Raiders had last season.
A rotation of Ellis, Darius Latham – who showed some promise last year – perhaps McGee, and any other interior linemen they acquire, could very well provide a better push up front. And they could do it more cost effectively.
Williams is a good guy and a solid teammate, but the money they would save by cutting him could be put to much better use upgrading that defensive front as a whole.
Savings: $4.5 million