The Las Vegas Raiders have around $32 million in cap space after the contract restructures of Kolton Miller and Kenyan Drake. So who might they use that cap space on this offseason?
One spot they have to fix is at defensive tackle. The run defense fell apart whenever Johnathan Hankins wasn’t on the field and they need to start thinking about replacing him (Hankins is also a free agent).
In a recent article by ESPN, they listed one free agent fit for every team going into next week. For that Raiders, that was none other than defensive tackle B.J. Hill from the Bengals. Here is what they had to say about the potential fit:
“The Raiders already made a move to address defensive tackle before the official start of free agency, signing Andrew Billings, who bounced around several practice squads at the end of the 2021 season. It’s still one of the weaker positions on the roster — only Kendal Vickers and PJ Johnson are under contract for 2022 alongside Billings.
Hill is at his best against the run, where he is graded in the 78th percentile of all interior defensive linemen since 2018, but he does offer some pocket-pushing ability as a pass-rusher. With Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue already in place on the edge, it makes sense for Las Vegas to prioritize run defense on the interior.”
Hill is only 26 years old and is coming off the best season of his career. While he’s usually not a big sack producer, he did total 5.5 sacks last season with the Bengals. And with the Raiders already having two stud defensive ends, this is the type of player they need in the middle of their defense.
It will be fascinating to see how much money Hill will earn in free agency. But if the number is under $8 million, the Raiders should be very interested as this is clearly an ascending player who fills a big need on defense.
