Raiders Eyeing Rookie Punters
- The Raiders were already looking at punter options before releasing Marquette King. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets that special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia “privately worked out” Texas punter Michael Dickson and Alabama punter JK Scott.
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Broncos To Sign Marquette King
Things are moving quickly for the Broncos and punter Marquette King. Denver is expected to sign him to a three-year deal, a source tells Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). The contract is worth $7MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The base value of King’s deal is worth just $2MM, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets, so he’ll have to hit certain incentives in order to realize the full $7MM potential value of his deal.
King was released by the Raiders late last week without much warning. Apparently, new head coach Jon Gruden was not a fan of King’s outspoken personality, but that did not dissuade other contenders from expressing interest in him. The Vikings quickly got in contact with King and it did not take long for the Broncos to get down to brass tacks with his agent.
King is perhaps the league’s best known punter thanks to his persona and is also among the very best in terms of performance. The Broncos have revamped their special teams unit this offseason and the addition of King is the latest, and perhaps most impactful, shakeup.
In 2017, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was the sixth-highest in the NFL and his net average of 42.7 per try placed him third, behind only Brett Kern (Titans) and Johnny Hekker (Rams).
With King on board, the Broncos will likely shop incumbent punter Riley Dixon.
Broncos Meeting With Marquette King
Here we go. Former Raiders punter Marquette King is in Denver visiting with the Broncos, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
As we learned earlier today, King is hoping to join the Broncos in an effort to get some intra-divisional revenge on Jon Gruden. The Broncos, meanwhile, have interest in upgrading from Riley Dixon, who had an iffy year in 2017 after a strong showing as a rookie in 2016.
King led the NFL in punting yards in 2014 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod two years later. Last year, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was the sixth-highest mark in the NFL and his net average of 42.7 per try was third. In Denver, the 29-year-old could boom punts further than ever.
Marquette King Wants To Join Broncos
They say the best revenge is living well. Playing for your former team’s rival after getting cut late in the offseason is probably a close second. Former Raiders punter Marquette King wants to play for the Broncos, agent Wynn Silberman tells Mike Klis of 9News.com. 
“Marquette would love an opportunity to come visit there,’’ Silberman said. “Obviously, Denver is a punter’s dream. They’re high on his list.”
King, who is known for his powerful leg, could boom punts even further in Denver’s mile-high altitude. It’s a fit that would make sense for both parties. The Broncos saw Riley Dixon turn in a so-so year in 2017, so King would serve a clear upgrade. Meanwhile, King can break new records while hurting his former employer.
Still, money could be a barrier here. Dixon, a former seventh-round pick, is slated to make just $630K this year. King, meanwhile, was on track to earn $3MM as one of the highest-paid players at his position in 2018.
Then again, the Broncos have overhauled their special teams unit this offseason, so they could be willing to spend the extra cash to improve further. Special teams coordinator Brock Olivo was canned this winter and replaced veteran Tom McMahon. Meanwhile, Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer, and Corey Nelson were allowed to leave and undrafted players have been brought in as competition for kicker Brandon McManus and long snapper Casey Kreiter.
Raiders To Meet With Junior Galette
The Raiders are set to meet with linebacker Junior Galette, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. He adds that Galette has drawn interest from a “couple of teams” in free agency. 
Back in March, we heard that the Rams and Browns had interest in the Redskins free agent edge rusher. Still, he remains on the market here in April.
Galette was once a double-digit sack force with the Saints from 2013-14, but he profiles more as a rotation player due to off-field issues and injuries in recent years. After suffering torn Achilles tendons in both 2015 and 2016, Galette finally got in a full season with the Redskins in 2017, and looked strong as he played on on 37% of the team’s defensive snaps.
While he only posted three sacks, Galette managed 25 pressures and graded out the league’s No. 30 edge defender among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Washington, at one point, working to retain Galette, but a return is no longer in the cards.
Most NFL teams are focused on younger players these days, but Jon Gruden has bucked the trend by adding several players around the age of 30 and beyond. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson, running back Doug Martin, safety Marcus Gilchrist, and cornerbacks Shareece Wright and Leon Hall have been among those to join up with Oakland this offseason.
Mark Davis Addresses New Raiders Power Structure
This offseason’s provided the first taste of Jon Gruden taking some of Reggie McKenzie’s power within the Raiders’ organization. Mark Davis clarified the setup, confirming McKenzie won’t have as much responsibility as he once did.
In authorizing a 10-year contract for Gruden, Davis has confirmed the now-two-time Raiders head coach’s voice is the most important in the building.
“They have roles to play. At this point in time, the role Reggie plays now is a little different than the role he played with Jack (Del Rio), a little different than his role working with Dennis (Allen),” Davis said, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It evolves. (McKenzie) has built the team to where we are now, and we’re in pretty good shape with the cap and everything else. Now he has a head coach who’s going to be running this thing for the next 10 years. His vision is going to be most important building what type of team we’ve got.”
Davis added that McKenzie maintains control of Oakland’s salary cap. But Gruden appears to have a much bigger say about free agency targets than his McKenzie-era predecessors did. The Raiders have added several veterans who are north of 30 — like Jordy Nelson, Leon Hall, Dwayne Harris, Breno Giacomini and Shareece Wright — and others non-fifth-year UFAs (Doug Martin, Tahir Whitehead, Emmanuel Lamur, Marcus Gilchrist).
“Jon’s the head coach and he’s going to be here a while, so it’s important that he gets the players he wants and builds a team he wants to build,” Davis said. “Reggie is there with his staff to find the players, and also to keep the (salary) cap and everything else in order.”
McKenzie constructed a roster that ended the Raiders’ lengthy playoff drought, with a 12-4 2016 showing, but that group underwhelmed last season and regressed to a six-win outfit.
Davis said he won’t meddle often in the personnel side and confirmed his goal of bringing Gruden back to Oakland took more than five years to come to fruition.
“I’m done with the football side,” Davis said. “I got Reggie in place early. That was huge. But it was a six-year process to get Jon to be the head coach. I wanted him way back then, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I continually kept after Jon to see if he was interested. If he decided to come back, I hoped it would be with the Raiders. This year, he finally came on board.
“That allows me to see a long-term process working out on the football side. Jon will be our coach for the next 10 years, or until he gets tired of me. With him and Reggie on the football side of the building, and (director of football administration) Tom Delaney of course, they really do a great job. From the football side, I play devil’s advocate on certain things, but those guys make the decisions.”
Raiders Sign WR/KR Dwayne Harris
The Raiders may have located Cordarrelle Patterson‘s replacement on Monday night. They signed veteran return man Dwayne Harris.
Released by the Giants late last month, Harris spent most of the past three seasons as Big Blue’s primary kick returner. Oakland trading Patterson to New England vacated the team’s kick-return job, and Harris will bring extensive experience to that role.
Harris has a notable connection to the Raiders. The former Cowboys return man will be reunited with new Silver and Black special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Dallas’ ST boss from 2012-17. Harris spent two seasons playing for Bisaccia before signing with the Giants as a free agent in 2015.
While Patterson is a more accomplished return man, with two first-team All-Pro honors on his resume, Harris has extensive seasoning as a dual-threat returner whereas Patterson only returns kickoffs. Harris worked as the Giants’ kick and punt returner for the past three seasons, doing so en route to a Pro Bowl nod in 2016. Harris, who signed a five-year contract to head to New York three years ago, spent most of last season on IR with a broken foot.
Set for his age-31 season, Harris stands to be one of the game’s older return men. He’s notched four career return touchdowns — three on punts, one via kickoff — and has sporadic experience as a wide receiver. Most of that work came for the 2016 Giants, who saw him catch 36 passes for 396 yards and four TDs. The Raiders relied on Patterson as a receiver off the bench last season. He caught 31 passes in his lone Raider season. Harris almost certainly won’t be expected to do that.
Jets Claim TE Clive Walford
The Jets have a new tight end. On Monday, the Jets were awarded Clive Walford off waivers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Walford, 27 in October, was released by the Raiders late last week. Walford had some involvement in the Raiders’ offense over the first two seasons of his career, but he was hardly a factor last year thanks to the addition of Jared Cook. Walford averaged 30 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns between 2015 and ’16. Then, last year, he had just nine catches for 80 yards and no scores.
The good news is that Walford could have a chance to shine in New York. The Jets allowed Austin Seferian-Jenkins to leave in free agency, so he projects as the team’s top tight end over Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett. The Jets could still strengthen that area in the draft, but they may be hard-pressed to find a better option than Walford since their No. 3 overall pick will be used on a quarterback and they don’t pick again until the third round (No. 72 overall).
Thanks to their 5-11 finish last season, the Jets have the sixth-highest waiver priority in the NFL this offseason. Only the Browns, Giants, Colts, Texans, and Broncos could have prevented the Jets from landing Walford.
Raiders Cut Marquette King Over “Personality” Clash
Late last week, the Raiders cut fan favorite Marquette King in a move that was ostensibly about money. By releasing the punter, Oakland saved $2.9MM against the cap, but apparently that was not the only factor. King’s personality did not jibe with coach Jon Gruden, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) hears. 
Some of Gruden’s concerns may have been rooted in the on-field impact of King’s antics. While King is among the best at his position, he has tallied four personal fouls over the last two seasons. One of his most memorable moments came in December 2016 when the Bills were flagged for roughing the punter and King received a penalty of his own when he danced with the flag.
King’s personality won’t dissuade other teams from pursuing him. The Vikings reached out to King immediately after he was cut and more clubs are sure to follow this week.
Draft May Be Best Route For Raiders To Address Punter Opening
In a fairly surprising move, the Raiders released punter Marquette King earlier this week. Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area looked into some of the options the Raiders have in replacing their punter of the last five seasons.
As Bair notes, there’s not much out there for the Raiders in free agency. Brad Wing is the only active punter on the market with full-time experience from last season, serving as the Giants’ starter. But Wing graded out as last in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, out of the league’s qualified punters.
The Raiders also have former UC Davis punter Colby Wadman on their roster, though he has yet to record a punt in his brief NFL career.
That leaves the draft as the most likely place for the Raiders to find their replacement at the position. Bair identifies Texas’ Michael Dickson — who won last year’s Ray Guy Award — Alabama’s JK Scott, Bowling Green’s Joseph Davidson and Florida’s Johnny Townsend as potential options to be taken in the draft.
The departure of King is just one of several shakeups to the Raiders special teams this offseason. The team also cut long-time kicker Sebastian Janikowski and long-snapper Jon Condo.