Oakland Raiders: Free Agents Still Up For Grabs Who Won’t Break The Bank

Josh Mauga (ILB)

Having missed the entire 2016 with injury – as well as having some injury concerns early on in his career – the market for Josh Mauga is going to be small. If he’s healthy though – stressing the big if here – Mauga flashed some real ability to man the position for the Raiders.

In 2015, as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Mauga posted 57 tackles (45 solo), a sack, two interceptions, and three passes defensed. He’s better against the run than the pass, but he could still be serviceable on passing downs. However, he made a name for himself as more of a run stopper – something the Raiders could use after ranking twenty-third against he run last season.

If they were to pick up Mauga to play tough against the run, they would likely want to have somebody on hand – like say, Neiron Ball – who could play on the passing downs.

Mauga wouldn’t be a perfect solution. Far from it. But he’s a veteran who is solid against the run, tough, gritty, and more importantly, could very likely be had on a very team friendly deal.

But – and it’s a big but – there is a very real risk associated with Mauga. And that risk is that given his history, the possibility that he could sustain another devastating injury. So, would the risk outweigh the reward? Might be worth at least a conversation to find out.