5 goals for the Raiders in the 2022 NFL free agency

Silver and black returned to the playoffs last season. Now the Las Vegas Raiders seem to be making even more noise with their latest head coach.

All in all, 2021 proved to be a trying but somewhat successful year for Silver and Black. The Las Vegas Raiders won their first three games and last four competitions. Occasionally, the team saw their head coach step down, and two of their most recent selections in the first round had problems off the field.

But under the guidance of interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and the leadership of veteran quarterback Derek Carr, the club finished 10-7, claiming its first playoff spot since 2016.

The Raiders fell short in Cincinnati in the wild card round. And now the team is under the command of new general manager Dave Ziegler and former Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Although the franchise still has some salary cap this year (see Spotrac), it is not the usual large number we have seen in the past. So what five players could the Raiders look at out of season?

5. DT Larry Ogunjobi (Cincinnati Bengals)

Last offseason, the club renewed both sides of the ball in the trenches. As for the defensive front, young artists like Arden Key and Maurice Hurst were sent to pack. They sighed inside defenders Solomon Thomas and Quinton Jefferson and gave big bucks to the passing forward Yannick Ngakoue. The latter led the team with 10 sacks, and he and Maxx Crosby (8.0) went together on just over half of Las Vegas’ 35 QB pitches.

But Thomas and Jefferson signed one-year deals and are eligible for free agency in mid-March. Likewise massive defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Five-year-old pro Larry Ogunjobi has been a steady starter for the Bengals each of the past four seasons. He comes from a year in which he collected a career-best seven sacks. He could be a solid addition to the Raiders’ defensive front.