Oakland Raiders Are Big Winners On Defense In Free Agency

So here’s what we already knew about the Oakland Raiders heading into the start of the NFL season; they have made great moves over the past two years in efforts to pull their franchise out of its own black hole. The Raiders have been cashing in with veteran acquisitions and good draft picks quietly building a competitive team. This year, however, Oakland has opened the season with a big splash in free agency and just got a whole lot better.

First, they grabbed big-time OLB Bruce Irvin who left the Seattle Seahawks to play for a team that could afford to pay a little more for his services. Despite being 29 years old, he still has good football left in him and Oakland needs him to fill in for Aldon Smith who will not be available. Irvin will also be reunited with Ken Norton Jr., who was his linebacker coach during his tenure in Seattle. Last season with the Seahawks, Irvin played 15 games, had 38 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The Raiders also made waves with the signing of veteran CB Sean Smith to a four-year, $40 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. Smith is arguably a top-10 corner in the league. The Raiders played against him twice last year when he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, so they are familiar with his game and know he has enough speed to keep up with receivers downfield, something the Raiders needed more of last year.

These two moves show that Oakland is in win-now mode and is willing to spend the money to make it happen. The new additions along with the Raiders’ budding young talent on offense and defense may finally take this team over the hump into winning territory. This will definitely make for an exciting and dare I say playoff-bound season for the silver and black.