Oakland Raiders: Top 5 free agent targets still available
By Justin Fried
2. Nick Perry, DE
We talked about the possibility of bringing in a veteran pass rusher like Derrick Morgan earlier, but Morgan isn’t the only veteran edge still available.
Longtime Green Bay Packers edge rusher Nick Perry remains a free agent at the time of writing and could represent an intriguing addition to the Raiders pass rush core. And with 32 career sacks including 19.5 over the last three seasons, it’s interesting to see him still on the market.
Part of that is likely due to his lackluster 2018 campaign in which he amassed just 1.5 sacks in nine games played. But still, Perry is three years removed from an 11-sack 2016 season and just two years removed from seven sacks in 2017.
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Much like Morgan, Perry has exclusively played a stand-up outside linebacker role during his time in the NFL but that doesn’t mean a switch back to defensive end couldn’t be in order. Perry played defensive end while at USC and could be better suited in a defensive end role due to his slowing athletic abilities.
The Raiders still don’t have a defined starting defensive end opposite Clelin Ferrell with the likes of Arden Key, Josh Mauro, Benson Mayowa, and Maxx Crosby all vying for the starting job. Perry could come in and give the team some veteran insurance with a more accomplished history of pass rushing than any of the above candidates.
Fortunately, the Raiders should be able to sign him for cheap as well making this a real possibility.