Raiders bring in Wade to compete for starting center position
Uncertain whether they would re-sign Jeremy Newberry, last year’s starting center, the Raiders signed Bucs starting center John Wade. Terms of the contract weren’t available.
Wade lost his job in Tampa Bay when the Bucs signed Jeff Faine to a six-year, $37.5 million contract. The 33-year-old Wade started 106 games for the Bucs and Jaguars in 10 NFL seasons.
Wade spent his first five years in Jacksonville and his last five years in Tampa Bay. He will compete against Jake Grove for the starting job.
– John Clayton, ESPN.com
Raiders Bolster Pass Rush by Signing DE Kalimba Edwards
By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer
Mar 28, 5:00 pm EDT
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—The Oakland Raiders signed defensive end Kalimba Edwards to a two-year contract on Friday as they try to improve their pass rush for next season.
Edwards was cut earlier this month by the Detroit Lions. He will reportedly earn $5 million in the deal with the Raiders.
Edwards, a second-round pick out of South Carolina in 2002, has 26 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in six seasons in the NFL. His best year came in 2005, when he recorded a career-high seven sacks.
Edwards played only eight games last season as he was slowed by a knee injury and eventually lost his job with the Lions. His best game happened to come in the opener against the Raiders, when he had two sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered another to help Detroit beat Oakland 36-21. Edwards had only one more sack the rest of the season.
The Raiders had been in search of a pass rusher from the right side to complement left end Derrick Burgess ever since Chris Clemons left to sign with Philadelphia earlier this offseason. Oakland had the fifth fewest sacks in the NFL last season with 27, with eight coming from Clemons.
Oakland has been extremely active this offseason trying to upgrade a defense that was ranked 22nd in the NFL last season and contributed to a fifth straight losing season. The Raiders went 4-12 last season and have only 19 wins the past five years.
The team re-signed defensive lineman Tommy Kelly to a deal that guarantees him more than $18 million. It also used the franchise tag on cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, guaranteeing him about $10 million for next season.
The Raiders also traded for cornerback DeAngelo Hall and gave him a contract that included $24 million in guarantees, and signed free agent safety Gibril Wilson and defensive tackle William Joseph.
Raiders Agree to $70 Million Deal to Pave Way for Hall Trade
By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—The Raiders and DeAngelo Hall agreed to terms Thursday on $70 million, seven-year contract that paves the way for the former Pro Bowl cornerback to be dealt from Atlanta to Oakland, a person familiar with the talks said.
Hall arrived in the Bay Area to meet with Raiders owner Al Davis and other team officials Wednesday and the deal was completed the following day, the person said on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made. Hall will be guaranteed a little more than $24 million in the new deal, the person said.
The Raiders wanted to sign Hall to a new contract before completing the deal with the Falcons in order to make sure they would have Hall for more than one year. Oakland will send a second-round pick, the 34th overall, in next month’s draft and an additional pick to Atlanta in the deal.
Oakland has already traded its third-round pick in this year’s draft to New England for the pick used to select offensive lineman Mario Henderson in 2007, and its fifth-round pick to Denver for defensive tackle Gerard Warren.
The Raiders could try to recoup some of those lost picks by trading either cornerback Fabian Washington or Stanford Routt.
With Hall slated to start opposite standout cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in what should be one of the league’s best cover duos, Oakland’s top two picks from the 2005 draft will likely be relegated to the bench.
Routt, the second-round pick in ‘05, moved past first-rounder Washington as the starter last season. Routt is better suited to playing nickel back, possibly making Washington the more likely candidate to be traded.
The Raiders have been very active during the free-agency season after winning just four games last season and a league-low 19 the previous five years.
Oakland has signed defensive tackles Tommy Kelly and William Joseph, receivers Javon Walker and Drew Carter, safety Gibril Wilson, offensive linemen Kwame Harris and Cornell Green to deals that could be worth more than $160 million.
The Raiders also placed the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha, guaranteeing him about $10 million next season, and re-signed running back Justin Fargas to a $12 million, three-year contract that guarantees him $6 million.
Hall was a first-round pick in 2004 and two-time Pro Bowl selection, but he is nearly as well known for his outspoken demeanor. He clashed openly with former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino last season and was benched for a half after a sideline confrontation.
Hall Trade Stalls
If the Dante Hall trade goes through then Oakland might have a decent secondary indeed. With Hall on one side and Asomugha on the other; the move of Huff from SS to FS and the signing of Gibril Wilson, Oakland might shore up the secondary pretty well but there are still huge questions elsewhere.
Can Tommy Kelly come back from his ACL injury? Will Javon Walker ever return to Pro Bowl form? They are both long shots at this point and Oakland overspent to get them.
Oakland also needs better play at the SLB position and there are a couple free agents to look at still out there Chillar and Colvin to name a couple.
Shoring up the secondary will also for more aggressive play calling in the front 7. But it is still left to be seen if Hall will land in Oakland and if we too will be worth the contract he would receive.
Drew Carter on Board
By Jerry McDonald – NFL Writer
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 3:34 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Free agent Drew Carter, an occasional starter for the Carolina Panthers last season, has been added to the Raiders’ receiving corps, beat writer Steve Corkran confirmed.
Barring any other acquisitions, Carter would enter training camp as no worse than the third wide receiver, joining Javon Walker and incumbent Ronald Curry.
In seven starts for Carolina, Carter had 38 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns, which followed a 28-catch, 357-yard performance in 2006.
The Raiders have added both Walker and Carter to one of the NFL’s thinnest units since losing Jerry Porter (Jacksonville) to free agency.
With Walker (6-3, 215), Curry (6-2, 210) and Carter (6-3, 210), Oakland has given rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell a trio of phyiscally impressive wide receivers. Best case, it means the potential for a lot of big plays. Depth could still be an issue, since all three have had injury issues.
The remainder of the wide receivers includes Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jonathan Holland, Chris McFoy, Drisan James, Will Buchanon and Todd Watkins.
No word yet regarding Quinn Gray, the Jacksonville quarterback who arrived Tuesday night. The St. Petersburg Times reported defensive end Kevin Carter, a 34-year-old, 13-year vet who has talked with the Raiders in past free agent years, was to visit Wednesday.
Gray has already visited Green Bay. If the Packers are serious, that opportunity would seem to be the better chance for Gray to get playing time. Russell will likely be given the chance to grow through his errors. In Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers, the man who must replace Brett Favre, would be on a considerably shorter leash and be under much more intense scrutiny on a team with playoff aspirations.
