Jaguars Castoff Could Be A Good Fit With Oakland Raiders Defense
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders need some help on the interior of their defensive line – and a recently pink-slipped veteran could be a solid fit.
Between Justin Ellis and Dan Williams, it was thought that the Oakland Raiders’ interior line was going to be a strength of that defense. Adding the likes of Stacy McGee and Darius Latham to the mix was supposed to be icing on the cake, right?
Yeah, it didn’t really work out that way and the interior defensive line was more of a liability than anything.
Neither Williams nor Ellis provided the sort of push up the middle or pressure on the quarterback this defense needed to really thrive. Opposing quarterbacks were all too comfortable sitting back in the pocket and picking the defense apart.
McGee and Latham both showed some flashes last season – with McGee notching 2.5 sacks on the year. But injury limited McGee to just nine games on the year and is now a free agent. Latham appeared in 14 games – making two starts – and will likely see a bump in his snap count.
But now, knowing that their interior line needs to produce at a higher level, GM Reggie McKenzie has some decisions to make.
The prevailing sentiment among many is that it’s time to end the Dan Williams experiment and cut him loose. He has never been the physical force up front the Raiders have needed and with a cap hit of $4.5 million, that money could be put to better use elsewhere – such as an upgrade on the interior line.
Justine Ellis is in the final year of his rookie deal with a very reasonable cap hit of $800k. 2017 ultimately amounts to a “prove it” year for Ellis. If he performs, he’ll get a raise. If he doesn’t, he’ll get a new team next season.
Which means the Raiders still have a lot of question marks on the line.
They can begin to answer some of those questions by having a conversation with Jared Odrick, recently cut by the new Tom Coughlin regime in Jacksonville.
Odrick signed a five-year, $42.5 million dollar deal with the Jaguars in 2015. And after in injury-riddled campaign in 2016 that saw him play in just six total games, Coughlin decided that he’d seen enough, and sent the seven-year pro packing.
At 29 years old, Odrick presumably still has plenty left in the tank. And at six foot five, 301 pounds, he has imposing size, takes up a lot of space, and is an intimidating presence – things these Raiders need on the interior.
Over the course of his career, he’s notched 23 sacks and 170 tackles (136 solo). He’s also forced five fumbles, has defensed 15 passes, and has an interception to his credit. He’s big, quick, and fierce. His attitude and swagger are things much needed on the defensive line.
Obviously, given the contracts for Derek Carr and Khalil Mack that are coming up, money is an issue. Odrick would be a good fit for this team – if the price is right.
He signed a big money deal to go to Jacksonville after the Dolphins had made him a first round pick in 2010. It’s possible he is looking to get paid like that again. The one and only thing working in McKenzie’s favor is that Odrick did only play in six games last year and needs to prove he’s healthy enough to be effective once again.
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It’s not much, but it’s something. If McKenzie can get Odrick to Oakland – at a team friendly price – it could be one of the bigger steals in free agency.
Having a conversation with Odrick makes a lot of sense. He would fill a big need the Raiders currently have, and put a little teeth into the interior of that defense.
But again, it’s a matter of the price being right.