ESPN: LG Denzelle Good named most important free agent for Raiders
The Raiders have several big free agents scheduled to hit the market in March, including Nelson Agholor, Johnathan Hankins and Nicholas Morrow. However, arguably their biggest free agent is on the offensive line in Denzelle Good.
After filling for Richie Incognito most of the season, Good put together an impressive resume. He’s now started at both guard spots in his NFL career and even has some experience at right tackle after the Raiders were decimated by injuries during the 2020 season.
In a recent piece by ESPN’s 32 beat writers, they listed each team’s most important free agent entering the offseason. For the Raiders, that was none other than Denzelle Good. Here is what Paul Gutierrez had to say about the veteran offensive lineman:
“Yeah, receiver Nelson Agholor had a career year with 896 receiving yards, an 18.7 yards-per-catch average and eight touchdowns. But with the Raiders likely needing to slash salary to get under the cap, Agholor might command more than they can afford. Good, meanwhile, was the Raiders’ do-everything man on the O-line, filling in admirably at both right tackle and left guard. And with huge question marks surrounding right tackle Trent Brown and left guard Richie Incognito, Good probably is the smarter call here. After all, both coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr said Good was the team’s unsung hero and team MVP last year.”
With the Raiders likely moving on from Incognito this offseason, Good would replace him in the starting lineup. If the Raiders are unable to retain Good, that job would go to 2020 fourth-round pick John Simpson, who played sporadically as a rookie.
The Raiders are a team built around their offensive line. For them to compete with the best teams in the AFC, they need to be able to protect Derek Carr and run the ball. Retaining Good would allow them to continue to do that at a high level.
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