New Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler has proven in his short time with the team that he’s not afraid to make tough decisions. One of the tougher calls he’s had to make involved the three first-round picks from the 2019 NFL Draft class. The team invested a lot into Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram but it’s clear that the three might not be in their future plans as Ziegler decline all three of their fifth-year options.
Ferrell was the first player picked out of the three as the No. 4 overall pick. He hasn’t lived up to his draft status and has seen the Raiders give big money to other pass rushers. His time could be running out as this is the last season he has to prove himself. That said, he might not even get the chance to show the new coaching staff what he can do. ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez believes that Ferrell is on the roster bubble heading into training camp:
The No. 4 overall pick of the 2019 draft hasn’t lived up to his lofty draft standing, after registering 4.5 sacks as a rookie but 3.5 sacks since and six quarterback hits last season. And with the Raiders having signed vet Chandler Jones (a year after they brought in Yannick Ngakoue) to pair with Maxx Crosby, Ferrell did not have his fifth-year option picked up and might be on high alert. Unless, of course, he is a better fit in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme.
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Ferrell Should at Least Get to Play out His Contract
Cutting Ferrell at any point this year seems highly unlikely. It would leave the Raiders with an almost $10 million dead cap hit, per Spotrac. That’s a lot of money to have to put aside for a player who isn’t on the roster. Ferrell will never be the elite pass rusher the team hoped he’d be but he can still be a solid rotational player.
He’s good against the run and has put together some strong games throughout his career. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could also hold the key to unlocking Ferrell’s potential. It remains to be seen what the defensive end’s future might look like past this season but he’ll likely be on the roster this year unless a trade becomes a possibility.
Should Raiders Be Happy With Current DL?
The Raiders are set to have one of the best pass rushing duos in the NFL with Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby coming off the edge. That should be more than good enough to ensure the team applies pressure. However, Las Vegas could be very reliant on those two.
The Raiders don’t have much of an interior pass rush and the outside pass rushers outside of Jones and Crosby aren’t proven. That’s a reason why the team has been linked to Ndamukong Suh in recent weeks. Though he’s 35, he still provides strong interior pass rushing ability. Even if the Raiders don’t add him, they have a solid group that is a bit top-heavy.
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Former Raiders 1st-Round Pick in Danger of Getting Cut, per Insider