Getty New Las Vegas Raiders DT Matt Dickerson.
The Las Vegas Raiders clearly had a goal of bolstering the defensive line this offseason. They’ve already signed several new players in free agency and they’re not done yet. The team announced that they’ve signed free-agent defensive tackle Matt Dickerson.
D-line depth.
We have signed DL Matt Dickerson » t.co/r9A05KTEr3
Dickerson came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and spent the last three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He’s never started a game but has played in 18 career games. He doesn’t have a sack in any of his regular-season games but did get a sack on Lamar Jackson when the Titans played the Baltimore Ravens during last season’s Wild Card playoff round.
Dickerson will join fellow new defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, Solomon Thomas and Yannick Ngakoue. There will certainly be some stiff competition in training camp to see who makes the cut. Interestingly enough, Dickerson played his college ball with current Raiders Kolton Miller and Andre James while at UCLA. Dickerson was a roommate of both players while in college. He should fit in just fine in the team’s locker room.
How’s this for cool?
Two of Matt Dickerson’s roommates at UCLA were Andre James and Kolton Miller. Now, they’re back together again in Silver and Black.
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Raiders Set on Defensive Line?
Over the last few years, the Raiders’ defensive line has been among the NFL’s worst year after year. They’ve tried to fix the position group through the draft but that hasn’t gotten them over the hump. This offseason, the biggest move they’ve made to address the defensive line was signing Yannick Ngakoue.
He should come in and immediately provide a big boost as a pass rusher. Though he’s not great against the run, he knows how to get to the quarterback. Pairing him up with Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby should have the Raiders set at defensive end for this season.
Things get a little more interesting when looking at defensive tackle. It was arguably the team’s biggest need this offseason and they’ve added a number of players to address it. However, Thomas, Jefferson and Dickerson don’t have histories of getting after the quarterback. The Raiders might be set on the defensive line but they should still consider adding an interior pass rusher at some point in the draft.
Can Raiders Improve on Defense in 2021?
So far in free agency, the Raiders haven’t lost any great defenders but did add a great pass rusher in Ngakoue. Just by adding him, the defense should be better than it was in 2020. That said, there are still glaring holes on the defense.
The Raiders have yet to add a starting free safety or a veteran cornerback. Those are two massive needs for the team. Damon Arnette and Trayvon Mullen have promise but Las Vegas can’t rely on those two young cornerbacks. They’d be very wise to add a proven veteran like Richard Sherman or A.J. Bouye.
It’s been a strong market for safeties but the Raiders are taking things really slow. Some of the top players like John Johnson and Anthony Harris have already signed. The longer the team waits, the less likely they are to find a true impact player. If the Raiders can’t find a capable starter at free safety, it’s hard to imagine they don’t still have one of the league’s worst defenses in 2021.
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