Getty Dave Ziegler & Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is considered one of the best young defensive minds in the NFL but the Las Vegas Raiders are proving tricky for him early on. The team is allowing 26.0 points a game through five games, which is the fifth worst in the NFL. The group has shown some promising flashes but has yet to play a great game for all four quarters.
Much of that has to do with the roster. The Raiders’ secondary took a big blow when Nate Hobbs was placed on the Injured Reserve. With the trade deadline closing in, the team would be wise to scour the market for some kind of cornerback help. One of the Raiders’ most interesting trade chips is former first-round pick Clelin Ferrell. The veteran defensive end does have a role on the team right now but the team is exploring trades for him, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes a fresh start would be good for Ferrell and pointed to the Detroit Lions as a good fit:
And Ferrell does have the potential to be a valuable role player with another team. He logged 4.5 sacks as a rookie and had 21 quarterback pressures in 2020. A team like the Detroit Lions could take a flier on Ferrell and give him an opportunity on the field.
Detroit’s defense has been awful this season. It surrendered a league-high 170 points through the first five weeks and has produced a mere seven sacks. Rookie Aidan Hutchinson is the only player with more than one sack on the year.
Ferrell is in the final year of his rookie deal and will play elsewhere in 2023. Detroit could give him an early audition with a deadline trade.
Raiders Should Keep Ferrell Unless They Get Solid Offer
Ferrell is consistently mentioned as a possible trade candidate for the Raiders and that’s been the case for a couple of years now. However, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to trade him at this point. He’s playing 34% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps and can play multiple positions on the defensive line.
If all the team can get is a sixth or seventh-round pick or Ferrell, they are better off keeping him. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pitched a trade that sends the defensive lineman to the Lions for cornerback Amani Oruwariye. That would be interesting as the Raiders need a cornerback but Oruwariye has struggled this season. The team might not think of him as a valuable asset.
Raiders Getting Anthony Averett Back
The Raiders might even need to make a trade for a cornerback. Anthony Averett was a starter heading into the season but was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 1. He’s finally ready to return. He’s excited to get back on the field.
“It was kind of frustrating, but it’s a blessing just to be back there,” Averett said Wednesday. “I don’t take anything for granted. For the past couple weeks, I’ve just been trying to stay in it mentally; that’s half of the game, to make sure the game’s feeling slow for when you get there. I’ve been watching film and still going to meetings, so things like that and still being in it, it really goes a long way.”