Oakland Raiders: 6 Players The Team Needs To Show Up Big In 2017
By Kevin Saito
This is assuming that Reggie Nelson makes the final 53-man roster. It’s entirely likely that he will, given the lack of depth and experience behind him, but it’s not necessarily a lock. There is a possibility that Del Rio and Norton want to go with their two young guns, Karl Joseph and Obi Melifonwu, as the last line of defense.
Nelson made some terrific plays last season, there is no question. His five interceptions and 12 passes defensed prove that he was active and making plays in the defensive backfield.
He was good, just not great last season.
Nelson, the last line of defense, in Oakland’s secondary, often wasn’t where he needed to be to make a play. He was caught out of position or taking a bad angle to the ball all too often, allowing opposing receivers to gallop free.
Oakland’s secondary gave up 27 passing touchdowns last year – which put them in the bottom tier of the league in the category. And while that wasn’t all on Nelson, he certainly didn’t always do the best job of helping to keep that number down.
If the Raiders opted to release Nelson, they’ll save $6 million, and won’t incur a dead money hit. Which, should Nelson not show out in camp or he gets outplayed by Melifonwu, could make the decision fairly simple for the Raiders to make.
If the 33-year old safety wants to make the roster this season – which at the moment is far from a certainty – he’s going to need to step up and play big. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what the Raiders need from their safeties.