It’s no secret that the Raiders want to add a pass rusher before the trade deadline. It’s also not a secret that they don’t want to part with a top pick to get one.
With that being the case, it seems unlikely that a player like Yannick Ngakoue or Leonard Williams will end up with the Raiders. But one name to keep a close eye on might be Vic Beasley, who seems to have worn out his welcome in Atlanta.
“Teams tell me the Falcons have been pretty aggressive in offering up their fifth-year former All-Pro but so far have few takers,” Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman reported on Wednesday. “That could change, and one team I’ve heard that could be interested is the Raiders.”
Beasley is in the final year of his rookie deal (fifth-year option) and is making $12.8 million. The Falcons aren’t re-signing him and they surely aren’t interested in handing a relatively ineffective player a lot of money to close out a season that already looks lost. The problem for the Falcons, though, is that no one seems to want Beasley for any kind of significant trade value.
The Raiders, assuming they are interested, could probably get Beasley for a late pick and it would be a perfect gamble for Jon Gruden because he has to role the dice on someone to try to improve the Raiders sputtering pass rush. Beasley recorded 15.5 sacks in 2016, but hasn’t been used in a full-time role since the beginning of his career. He is essentially a pricey speed rush specialist, but might be a great fit for the Raiders, who haven’t gotten much of anything from Arden Key.
Just a hunch… look for Beasley to be in a different uniform this time next week and odds are pretty good it’ll be the Raiders.
twitter: @raidersbeat
You have not seen Arden Key healthy for a while so you don’t know what he will bring this season. Stop talking like you are even watching the Raiders play. Bringing up Arden Key now shows that you know he is on the roster but don’t really know that he has been injured. Beasley may be a good fit but I have to question your football knowledge about the Raiders when you mention an injured player not giving you much. Arden will be balling once he is healthy. Beasley has never been much more than a situational pass rusher who has not played the run very well.