Oakland Raiders: 3 realistic trades the team could make ahead of the deadline
By Justin Fried
2. A boost to the linebacker corps
Despite the recent acquisition of Zay Jones, the Raiders receiving core remains one of the weaker units on the team. The offensive line has been impressive, Josh Jacobs has been fantastic, and Darren Waller has exceeded any and all expectations.
But quarterback Derek Carr could certainly use additional receivers.
Outside of Tyrell Williams who has been battling injury, the options are slim to none in terms of experienced targets. Jones helps but the remaining group of rookies Hunter Renfrow and Keelan Doss and special teamers such as Dwayne Harris and Trevor Davis remains uninspiring.
For that reason, targeting a player like Mohamed Sanu on the Atlanta Falcons makes a ton of sense.
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He’s not as high-profile as Odell Beckham or A.J. Green, but Sanu has been a quietly productive receiver in the league for quite some time now and would immediately become the team’s second-best receiver behind Williams.
The Falcons have struggled to a 1-5 start and could be looking to clean house. And while much of the attention has been on edge rusher Vic Beasley and tight end Austin Hooper, Sanu makes sense as a trade target too.
The 30-year-old is really a secondary piece in Atlanta’s offense behind players like Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Devonta Freeman, and Hooper. And the thing is Sanu has another year left on his deal meaning that it wouldn’t exactly be a rental.
For that reason, and given Sanu’s still relatively high production, it might take somewhere around a fourth-rounder to make the trade happen. In this case, we simply ask for a seventh-rounder in return to add a little extra value for Oakland.