ESPN downgrades Raiders offseason for 2 of their bigger moves
Walder gave the Raiders a B grade for their offseason. Which based on his overall grades, is equivalent to 'meh'.
Exactly 16 teams graded below the Raiders' B grade, putting them solidly in the middle of the pack. That's lower than some would expect.
Walder began his analysis of the Raiders sounding like he was a big fan.
He mentioned the new staff of Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, and John Spytek along with QB Geno Smith all as upgrades. And said Smith's affordable contract was "worth it."
He loved the extension for Maxx Crosby and the returns of Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler. And spoke highly of the addition of safety Jeremy Chinn. Butler's new deal was his favorite of all.
Then the other shoe dropped.
I was not a fan of paying Alex Cappa $5 million considering he ranked last among 64 guards in pass block win rate last season. I also take issue with the drafting of Jeanty at No. 6.
Jeanty is a thrilling player, don't get me wrong. But it's bad to take a running back that early considering he'll only provide surplus value if he is elite because his contract is already expensive compared to the position. The opportunity cost of taking a player at a premium position (it's much harder to find an elite tackle, wide receiver or edge rusher in free agency) is so high.
These are legitimate criticisms of the Raiders offseason. Especially the drafting of Jeanty.
That being said, I'm not sure how much it really matters that they paid Cappa $5 million. They had so much cap room and since they signed him with the intention of making him an instant starter, giving him starter money would seem logical.
Clearly Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady see the player who blocked at a high level in the Bucs Super Bowl win, and not the player who struggled last season in Cincinnati. They are telling Cappa they believe in him by not lowballing him based on one down season. And if he can't prove them right, they aren't out much. It just seems a small thing in the grand scheme of things. Especially when Walder was a fan of so many other moves they made.
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