Oakland Raiders: A few free agent defensive tackles worth looking at

The Oakland Raiders, over the last few seasons, have had one of the league’s least effective pass rushes and they need to get a better push up the middle – here are a few defensive linemen worth taking a look at.

For the last few seasons, the Oakland Raiders‘ defensive line hasn’t been exactly – stellar. Their inability to put sustained and consistent pressure on the opposing quarterbacks has helped expose massive deficiencies in the secondary.

Being specific about it, it’s the lack of push up the middle of the line, the inability to get in a quarterback’s face that’s hurt this defense.

In his four seasons with the Raiders, impending free agent Justin Ellis has failed to make a lasting impact. He’s been – serviceable. At best. Good against the run, but an absolute non-factor as a pass rusher – notching just half a sack in his four years with the team.

And because of that, the Raiders may not make a big push to bring him back, letting him walk away as a free agent instead.

If that’s the case, the Raiders are going to need to add another body (or two) to the defensive front to give them some depth and flexibility as the make up of the current roster doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence moving forward.

Last year’s third-round pick Eddie Vanderdoes showed flashes here and there, but was largely invisible for long stretches of the season. Add to that, the fact that he tore his ACL late in the year, and may miss valuable time in camp.

2016 UDFA pick-up Darius Latham hasn’t panned out as one of those hidden gems GM Reggie McKenzie is known for mining. Given his scratches and a four-game suspension last year, Latham appeared in just three games for Oakland, collecting seven total tackles.

The best of the group was last year’s seventh-round pick Treyvon Hester came on last year and showed that he might have what it takes to be part of an effective unit on the defensive line. He was impressive at times and should see his playing time increased next season.

All of that means that Oakland is going to need some more help. They need bodies who can get a push up the middle and put some consistent pressure on the quarterback.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few potentially intriguing options the Raiders might want to explore.