Oakland Raiders: 3 players who could be traded away at the deadline
By Justin Fried
2. Johnathan Hankins, DT
Another player who could be on the move is veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. The 27-year-old picked up his first sack of the season and played a season-high 76% of defensive snaps on Sunday, but the Raiders could still benefit from trading him.
Hankins is receiving more snaps per game than both Maurice Hurst and P.J. Hall and it could be beneficial to move the veteran to give more time to their younger defenders.
Hurst showed a ton of promise last season in his rookie season after falling all the way to the fifth round due to medical concerns. He’s been quiet as of late, but he did have a two-sack performance back in the team’s Week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears.
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As for Hall, the 2018 second-rounder hasn’t exactly been lighting up the stat sheet, but he’s been a reliable run-stopper if nothing else. In the Raiders’ loss to Houston on Sunday he totaled a season-high four tackles including one for a loss.
Oakland likely wouldn’t be losing much production if they traded away Hankins and it would be a clear sign of faith in the future. Hankins is under contract through 2020 but a team in need of a veteran defensive tackle could still throw a late-round pick Oakland’s way.
And it might just be in the Raiders’ best interest to accept such a deal if they do get offers.