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Free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh hasn’t been shy about his interest in the Las Vegas Raiders. He even said that he’s been chatting with Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby as he weighs free agent options. What’s less clear is if the Raiders are truly interested in signing him.
They recently cut cornerback Stanford Samuels so there is an open spot on the roster. According to Brad Stainbrook, the Cleveland Browns are no longer showing interest in Suh but the Raiders have “held conversation” about possibly signing the five-time All-Pro.
Suh is still one of the biggest names available in free agency despite being 35. He’s not the same Pro Bowl-level play as he was in his younger years but he’s still capable of making an impact. He has 6.0 sacks in each of the last two seasons. As far as interior pass rushers are concerned, they still don’t get much better than Suh. It remains to be seen how much he hopes to get paid but if the Raiders can get him on the cheap, it could be a smart move.
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Insider Believes Suh Could Help Raiders
Speaking of interior pass rushers, the Raiders could use one. Bilal Nicholas is the only defensive tackle who has proven that he can get to the quarterback. The team has plenty of run stuffers but Jones and Crosby are going to have handle almost all of the pass-rushing duties.
Tashan Reed of The Athletic believes this is a reason why the Raiders should consider signing Suh:
The name that comes to mind is Ndamukong Suh. The defensive tackle group has a lot of depth, but it doesn’t have a ton of proven pass-rush juice outside of Bilal Nichols. Suh would fix that immediately while also adding another high-level run defender to the roster. There have been rumors tying Suh to the Raiders, but there aren’t any substantial developments on that front yet.
Conflicting Reports on Suh
Suh to the Raiders makes a ton of sense. He’d look great in silver and black, has stated he has an interest in the team and he fits a need. However, his asking price could be a deterrent to Las Vegas. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson previously reported that the Raiders are not “in pursuit” of the defensive lineman.
Considering there hasn’t been a move yet likely means that Anderson’s reporting is accurate. That isn’t to say that a Suh signing is impossible for Las Vegas. Training camp is nearing and the Raiders might find that their lack of an interior pass rush is a big issue. The team has cap space to play around with so cost shouldn’t be a huge issue. That said, they’ll likely want to save some money for in-season additions. If Suh hopes to be a Raider, he may need to take less money than the $9 million the Buccaneers paid him last season. It’s late in free agency so it’s hard to imagine another team will pay him close to that number.
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