Getty Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
The Oakland Raiders were dealt a bad blow when it was revealed that rookie safety Johnathan Abram was going to miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. He had already transitioned into a starting role and was supposed to be a big part of the defense. Fortunately, there is actually some good talent available on the open market at safety. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team has already started trying some players out.
Following a season-ending injury to S Johnathan Abram, the Raiders tried out veteran DBs T.J. McDonald, Kentrell Brice, Juston Burris and Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
T.J. McDonald, Kentrell Brice, Juston Burris and Briean Boddy-Calhoun are the players that the Raiders tried out. All three defensive backs have starting experience and are still pretty young. McDonald is probably the most talented player of the bunch as he was a starter in every game he played for the Rams and Dolphins. He was only recently released by Miami as they started to go in full-on firesale mode. He should still have value as either a one-year starter for the Raiders or as a solid backup.
Briean Boddy-Calhoun is the only other player with significant experience out of the group. He started 22 games over three seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He would most likely serve as a backup. Fans may wonder where George Iloka’s or Eric Berry’s names are, but Levi Damien at Silver & Black Pride brings up a good point.
The names mentioned above could only be some of the players the Raiders tried out. It’s very possible that there were several other guys that made the trip to Oakland. However, it seems unlikely it would be Berry. He’s a very big name and it would probably be difficult to keep that under wraps. But you never know.
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Who Will Start for Abram?
The Raiders do have some solid candidates to start for Abram already on the roster. Erik Harris doesn’t have a whole lot of starting experience but has been with the team for the last three years. He should be very familiar with the defense and could probably make a decent replacement for Abram.
Curtis Riley is a guy who started 16 games for the New York Giants in 2018, so he has the experience. That could definitely work in his favor. There’s a reason the Giants didn’t retain him and he came to Oakland to be a backup. He wouldn’t be the best replacement in the world, but he at least knows what he’s doing.
A really intriguing option would be to have LaMarcus Joyner move over to safety. He played a lot of safety during his years with the Rams and could be the best option the Raiders have to replace Abram. They’d like to keep him at nickel corner, but the need for better safety play could become too great. It’s not something the Raiders will likely decide right away. They may let Riley, Harris or a new guy get their shot before they decide to move Joyner.
READ NEXT: Eric Berry Among 3 Free Agents for Raiders to Target After Abram Injury