Getty NFL free agent DT Sheldon Richardson.
The Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL this season. Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones were both Pro Bowlers last season and the team paired them up. Through four games, the Raiders have the second-least sacks in the NFL with five. Crosby is responsible for 4.0 of them while cornerback Nate Hobbs has 1.0 of them.
Jones has been a disappointment but so has the interior pass rush. The team’s defensive tackles aren’t bringing any pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season. That’s not a massive surprise as Bilal Nichols was the only defensive tackle on the roster to have a sack last season. However, it wasn’t foreseen that they would be this lackluster. Andrew Billings is the highest-graded defensive tackle for the team by Pro Football Focus and he’s ranked all the way down at 50.
The Raiders need to consider upgrading their interior pass rush. Luckily, there are some good options available. There’s been a lot of talk about Ndamukong Suh possibly joining the team but that appears unlikely to happen. If that ship has sailed, then Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes Las Vegas “must target” Sheldon Richardson if they hope to get back into the playoff race:
Sheldon Richardson is a free agent who could help right away. The veteran is 31 years old but played in 17 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season.
He had 2.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits, which is the kind of pass-rush upside the Raiders could use.
Richardson Has Proven Pass Rush Ability
Richardson is no longer the consistent impact player he was now that he’s 31 but he’s proven he can still bring some pass rush. The former rookie of the year played for the Minnesota Vikings last season and notched 2.5 sacks. Those aren’t great numbers but it’s better than what most of the Raiders’ current options did.
Richardson is an incredibly durable player, having not missed a single game over the past four seasons. His best year came in 2014 with the New York Jets when he had 8.0 sacks. That was a long time ago but he could still be of use to a Raiders team that really needs to get its pass rush going. The team certainly has nothing to lose by giving Richardson a shot.
Sheldon Richardson mic’d up vs. the Texans ⤵️
Patrick Graham Talks First Win With Raiders
The season hasn’t started the way the Raiders wanted it to but they just picked up a huge win over the Denver Broncos in Week 4. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is excited to get a win but knows there’s a lot of work to be done.
“It always feels good to win,” Graham said Tuesday. “The big thing though about this league is you just got to move on to the next opponent, especially for this week with Kansas City coming up. A division game, on the road. I would be lying to you if my focus didn’t shift that night to Kansas City, but definitely enjoyed the win. Really happy for the players. All the hard work they put in and the reward they get on Sunday when they get a victory, that’s probably the biggest enjoyment I get out of my job, seeing those guys smile and be happy after putting in all the hard work. And then the coaches too, the assistant coaches and all the work they put in, I’m just happy that we were able to get the win.”