Oakland Raiders will reportedly be buyers at the trade deadline

The Oakland Raiders, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, are reportedly set to be buyers at the trade deadline after a 3-3 start to the season.

The Oakland Raiders have surprised a lot of people this season after jumping out to a quick 3-3 start to the season. And if recent rumors are to be believed, the Raiders might just be looking to beef up their roster for a potential playoff run.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the Raiders are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline this season as the team expects to make a playoff push as the season winds down.

Oakland currently sits right in the thick of things in the AFC wild-card race but could certainly use some help at positions of need. Schefter speculates that two positions that the Raiders could look to target are linebacker and pass rusher.

And that makes perfect sense given the team’s lack of depth at each position.

The Raiders are incredibly thin at linebacker following the season-long suspension to captain Vontaze Burfict. On top of that, Marquel Lee landed on the injured reserve earlier in the season and veteran Brandon Marshall was released as part of final roster cuts.

Outside of regular starters Tahir Whitehead and Nicholas Morrow, the Raiders have practice squad players and special-teamers on the depth chart. This has essentially prevented the team from running a base 4-3 package with five defensive backs on the field pretty much at all times.

Adding a third linebacker is essential for the Raiders this trade season. One player we projected as a trade target for the team earlier in the week was Washington Redskins linebacker Jon Bostic.

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Bostic is on the last year of his contract and would likely come at a pretty cheap price. But the 28-year-old has been a starter in the league for a number of years and has started all seven games for Washington so far this season.

As for the pass rush, Oakland could certainly use some help in that department as well. The pass rush is significantly improved from last season’s abomination, but it still isn’t a strength of the defense.

While Benson Mayowa has been a pleasant surprise, rookie Clelin Ferrell has been disappointing through six games. Fellow rookie Maxx Crosby has impressed but the Raiders could certainly use some additional help at the position.

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One of the top names on the market is Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller but that remains highly unlikely for a multitude of reasons. Denver likely wouldn’t trade within the division and the price tag for someone like Miller would be extremely high.

Another name that could be more affordable is Atlanta Falcons pass rusher Vic Beasley. After a standout 2016 season, the former Clemson star has had a disappointing few years and has overstayed his welcome in Atlanta.

While not nearly as high-profile as Miller, Beasley could make for an intriguing addition and a possible reclamation project for Paul Guenther’s defense.

It’s shaping up to be a very interesting trade deadline period and the Raiders will likely make at least one move before October 29th rolls around.

And after Sunday’s tough loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, Raiders fans need any optimism that they could get.