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Sherman

Tony Avelar / AP

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) watches from the sideline during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in Oakland, Calif.

The Raiders want their defense to look completely different in 2021, and with good reason, as their 2020 unit was one of the worst in the entire NFL.

To that end, Las Vegas fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and last week replaced him with Gus Bradley, one of the architects of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defense and a proponent of the Cover-3 scheme that rose to prominence in the wake of the Seahawks’ success.

That particular style of zone defense is not as en vogue around the league as it was in the mid-aughts, and Bradley conceded in his introductory press conference that it is continually evolving. But the principles will remain.

“I think the basis is a lot of Cover-3, but I think it’s evolved since Seattle,” Bradley said. “I think it’s more multiple than maybe the Seattle days, but it really revolves around looking at the personnel that we have and then putting guys in position where they can make a lot of plays. Position them to where they have the ability to make plays. So, that’s a task that we’ll look at in the next month or so — really evaluate our personnel.”

Now it’s up to general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden to work with Bradley to get him the type of players he needs to make his defense effective. Some of that can be done in the draft, but the fastest way to turn around the defense would be to add the right mix of experienced free agents who could come in and hit the ground running in 2021. They’ll have to do some bargain shopping — the Raiders are not flush with cap space this offseason — so most of these suggestions are not big-ticket, marquee free agents, but solid players who could have a cumulative impact.

Five veteran free agents who could come in right away and help the Raiders on defense:

Richard Sherman, cornerback

This is perhaps the most obvious name on the free-agent market when it comes to the Raiders’ needs. Sherman developed into a star during Bradley’s tenure in Seattle, effectively shutting down one side of the field by using his size, physicality and sixth sense for anticipating receivers’ every move. He’s not the same player these days; he will be heading into his age-33 season coming off a campaign in which he played just five games due to injury, so this isn’t prime Sherman by any stretch, but he’s just one year removed from allowing a 63.0 passer rating for a team that reached the Super Bowl.

Sherman still has the savvy to play that Cover-3 zone at a high level and would be a clear upgrade over the likes of Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette. The question is, how much will he cost? He won’t come super cheap, judging by the recent cornerback market. Would the Raiders be willing to go as high as $10-12 million per year to secure Sherman’s services if that’s what it takes? It would likely be a short contract, so Las Vegas wouldn’t be taking on a massive risk. The player, the defensive system fit and the team’s needs all seem to align here. If there’s one opportunity to splurge this offseason, Sherman might be it.

Mackensie Alexander, cornerback

Alexander is a different type of cornerback than Sherman and would serve a different purpose for the Raiders. Going into his age-28 season, he is coming into his own as a slot corner, having allowed passer ratings of 82.1, 84.3 and 81.4 in each of the last three seasons, respectively. He started 10 games for the Bengals in 2020 and allowed 6.9 yards per target while notching six passes defensed.

The good news is that Alexander is not expected to be a marquee free agent; Pro Football Focus projects him to sign a modest 2-year contract with $6 million guaranteed. That would still sting a little for the Raiders, who drafted Amik Robertson to be their slot corner of the future, but if they want to make the playoffs in 2021 it’s best not to take chances at such a key position.

Keanu Neal, safety

The back end of the Raiders defense was horrendous in 2020 and upgrading the strong safety position is the fastest way to raise the floor for the Las Vegas D in 2021. Johnathan Abram was borderline unplayable in his first full year, and so the Raiders will have to decide whether they want to gamble on the former first-rounder taking a major leap forward in one offseason or if they want to procure a sure upgrade in free agency.

Neal could be that upgrade — if he can stay healthy. He missed almost the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons due to injuries, but he started 14 games in 2020 and he’s still just 25 years old. He looked like a burgeoning star his first two years in the league, making 222 tackles and recording 14 passes defensed, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017.

And Neal is likely to make a smooth transition to Bradley’s defense, as he has spent all five of his pro seasons playing for Dan Quinn in Atlanta. Quinn succeeded Bradley as Seattle’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and brought the same Cover-3 defensive scheme to the Falcons when he was hired as head coach in 2016.

Neal bounced back strong in 2020, recording 100 tackles and two passes defensed, but his market is unlikely to be very strong due to his injury history. But for the Raiders, who need a safety to come down on crossers and provide run support in a Kam Chancellor-type role, Neal makes a lot of sense as a reclamation project.

K.J. Wright, linebacker

Like Sherman, Wright came into the NFL and blossomed into a key contributor under Bradley. Wright never rose to stardom like the rest of the Legion of Boom, but he provided solid short coverage and run support as a strongside linebacker next to All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Wright is getting toward the end of his career as an every-down player, and he doesn’t offer any pass-rush skills, but he knows the Bradley defense inside and out. Perhaps having that kind of veteran resource in the locker room would help a player like Cory Littleton, who underperformed in 2019 and is set to make a lot of money for the next three years. It would be in the Raiders’ best interest to bring in a veteran leader who can assist Littleton in his transition to the Cover-3.

Haason Reddick, edge rusher

Las Vegas finished 30th in sack rate last year, bringing down quarterbacks on just 3.5 percent of dropbacks. It’s virtually impossible to field a good defense when opposing passers have unlimited time to scan the field and deliver the ball at their leisure. Bradley understands that the pass rush is in need of a major upgrade.

“I know really where it all starts is up front,” Bradley said. “I think that’s first and foremost — to get things right up front and then fill it in everywhere else.”

Reddick could be a low-cost option for juicing the pass rush. He was played out of position as an off-ball linebacker for his first three years with the Arizona Cardinals, but they let him loose as a pass-rushing specialist in 2020 and Reddick responded with 12.5 sacks, 35 pressures and six forced fumbles.

He doesn’t bring much else to the table, but heading into his age-27 season Reddick could be deployed liberally on third downs, serving the dual purpose of giving the Raiders an edge threat while allowing starting defensive end Clelin Ferrell to move to the interior, where he is a more effective rusher anyway.

At the cost of a few million per year — assuming his market doesn’t blow up — Reddick seems like a player the Raiders should consider very strongly.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Article written by #LasVegasSun

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