NFL Free Agency 2015: Oakland Raiders Not Done Yet
Nov 2, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker J.T. Thomas (52) tackles Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham (84) in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
All the big free agent signings are done now and the grades have already been turned in for them. I gave the Raiders a B In my NFL Free Agency 2015 article as they didn’t bring in sexy names but players that can really help them. However, I have since taken back that B because their not done and gave them an I for incomplete.
A few days ago, at the owners meetings, Mark Davis stopped and chatted briefly with NFL Network. And among the things he spoke of is how the Raiders are not yet done signing free agents. When he said that, I knew right away he was talking about Jermaine Gresham, whom the Raiders already had in their building.
It was even reported that the two sides were really close to signing a contract but strangely didn’t. And it turned out that there wasn’t a sudden problem in negotiations—it was the Raiders discovering a back injury that needed surgery. That surgery did take place and was successful with the timetable being around six weeks.
So somewhere over that amount of time G.M. Reggie McKenzie can figure out what he’ll do here. He told CSN Bay Area at the NFL owners meetings, “He’s still on my board, We’ll see how he feels and how he rehabs and all that. Going forward, it will be more about how he wants to navigate through this.”
So Gresham, who is likely rehabbing as you read this, will probably be a Raider within about six weeks. The Raiders already have two blocking tight ends in Lee Smith and Nick Kasa and a pass catching tight end in Mychal Rivera. In Gresham, the Raiders will get a two-time Pro Bowl tight end that’s a great blocker and will be a reliable target for quarterback Derek Carr.
Then it will be much harder for the defense to know when the Raiders are running and passing. And my grade for the Raiders in free agency turns into an A as they get a starter that’s a Pro Bowler. This is an exciting time for Raiders fans because I don’t know what the record will be this year but this offseason will start their turnaround.
Just win baby!