Oakland Raiders: Nelson signing wildly unpopular, but has silver linings

The Oakland Raiders made the very unpopular move of bringing Reggie Nelson back on a one-year deal – it’s a move though, that could pay dividends.

If you’re just waking up, you’ve undoubtedly seen that the Oakland Raiders have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the human dumpster fire known as Reggie Nelson – which is, without a doubt, the most unpopular move in an offseason that’s been rife with them.

If that’s the case though, and your blood pressure is soaring, try to take a deep breath, and relax. No need to let your head explode this early in the day.

With Nelson’s contract expiring, most assumed that the Raiders would simply let him seek fame and fortune elsewhere. And with good reason. His two years in Silver and Black have been notable for one thing – he gave the best impression of a matador by anybody, outside of Barcelona.

Old. Slow. Flat-footed. Takes bad angles to the ball. Can’t keep up with speedy receivers. Can’t keep up with slow receivers. Gets himself spun around more often than a turnstile. Usually burned worse than Freddy Krueger when a ball is thrown his way. Is about as useful as a traffic cone.

We’re pretty sure those are actual quotes taken from an opposing team’s scouting report on Nelson last season.

Given the fact that Nelson was an absolute dumpster fire in his two seasons with the Raiders, it seemed like a no-brainer that the team would be moving on from him. And yet – he’s back. Again.

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Bringing Nelson back is not going to make very many people happy – except for opposing offensive coordinators and receivers, most likely. But, with the newly-signed Marcus Gilchrist joining Karl Joseph on the back line of that defense, along with Shalom Luani and Bob the Peanut Vendor, who’s got some quicks, it’s not likely that Nelson is going to see the field.

Let’s put it this way – if Reggie Nelson is taking defensive snaps, something is very, very, very wrong with Oakland’s defense. Shortly after they signed him, they probably put him in a box that says, “Only in the case of an extreme emergency, break glass.”

So, why bring him back at all? The simple answer is Paul Guenther.

Nelson played for Guenther for two seasons when they were both in Cincinnati, and Nelson thrived in Guenther’s system. In his two seasons with Guenter as the DC (2014-15), Nelson had 12 picks (eight in his 2015 Pro Bowl year), and 26 passes defensed.

Running in Guenther’s defense, Nelson wasn’t nearly the liability he’s been for Oakland over the last two seasons.

Of course, that was three years ago now and he certainly hasn’t gotten any faster. He was, however, handicapped by the system Ken Norton Jr. was running with the Raiders. Everybody was. Norton was never able to fully utilize or maximize the talent he had on the roster.

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However, Nelson’s primary role with the Raiders – please, please, please let it be – will be to help Oakland’s defensive backs get familiar with Guenther’s system.

Having somebody so familiar and somebody who had the kind of success Nelson had within a particular system should help the transition from the Norton/Pagano era to Guenther’s.

Ditto that with linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, who was recently signed and had four strong seasons with Guenther as his position coach and then his defensive coordinator.

So, while the re-signing of Nelson may initially spark some feelings of outrage and disgust (the most common side effects), take heart, Raider Nation – even if he does make the roster out of camp (not a guarantee), he’s likely going to be buried on the depth chart.

His primary role is likely going to be helping Joseph, Gilchrist and others, transition smoothly into Guenther’s new defensive system. His presence and familiarity with Guenther and the defense he runs has the potential to make Oakland’s secondary better than it has been for years.

And let’s face it, if the Raiders are in a position where Nelson has to take meaningful defensive snaps, it likely means something has gone so horribly wrong that the human turnstile being on the field isn’t going to matter much one way or the other.

While Nelson’s signing is grotesque and repugnant, it might make it palatable, if only a little bit, to think he was brought back for a very specific reason — and that reason is not to be on the field on Sundays.

So, see? You hate to see Nelson back in black, but there are some silver linings to it. You just have to really squint in a dimly lit room to see them.

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