Raiders To Sign Marcus Gilchrist
The Raiders have agreed to sign free agent safety Marcus Gilchrist to a one-year deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Reggie Nelson‘s contract expired after last season, the second of a two-year deal, and Oakland has a need on its back line alongside Karl Joseph. The Raiders were targeting secondary help this offseason but have yet to bolster that unit with an addition. They lost slot corner T.J. Carrie to the Browns on Wednesday.
Pro Football Focus graded Gilchrist, 29, as a middle-of-the-road safety last season, when he was with the Texans. Despite some big expenses over the past few years, the Raiders have continued to struggle in coverage. They’re now set to have three new starters in their secondary.
While Oakland has spent much of its offseason resources on offensive additions such as Jordy Nelson, Doug Martin, and Derek Carrier, the club also re-signed defensive tackle Justin Ellis and is nearing a deal with linebacker Tahir Whitehad.
[RELATED: Raiders Depth Chart]
Tank Carradine To Visit Seahawks
Defensive lineman Tank Carradine is visiting with the Raiders, but Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee says the free agent has a backup plan if he doesn’t sign. Barrows reports (via Twitter) that Carradine has a visit scheduled with the Seahawks “if necessary.”
We learned earlier today that the former 49ers defensive end had a meeting scheduled with the Raiders. The 2013 second-round pick had been relatively underwhelming during his San Francisco tenure, and he also missed half of the 2017 season. He ultimately started seven of his eight games last year, compiling 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His production would have placed him among Pro Football Focus’ top 50 edge defenders if he had enough snaps to qualify.
The Seahawks are a bit crowded at defensive end, and the team is currently projected to start Cliff Avril and Frank Clark. However, along with Branden Jackson and Quinton Jefferson (and others), the 29-year-old Carradine would certainly provide Seattle with some insurance at the position.
Raiders To Meet With DE Tank Carradine
The Raiders are hosting 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine on a visit, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Carradine, 29, was a second round pick of the Niners in 2013. He hasn’t quite lived up to his potential and he is coming off of a season in which he missed half of the team’s games. He did start in seven of his eight contests in 2017, however. He tallied 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks and would have placed among Pro Football Focus’ top 50 edge defenders if he had enough snaps to qualify.
The Raiders are keeping busy today as they are also meeting with free safety Marcus Gilchrist. On the other side of the ball, they have released Michael Crabtree in order to sign fellow wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Raiders Sign WR Jordy Nelson
The Raiders have signed wide receiver Jordy Nelson, as first reported by his former teammate James Jones (on Twitter). It’s a two-year, $15MM deal with $13MM guaranteed. The news has been confirmed by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Nelson was a cap casualty of the Packers, but several teams were eager to bring him into the fold. The Raiders beat out the Seahawks and Saints, who were also making a strong push for him.
The Raiders released Michael Crabtree on Thursday in order to make room for Nelson. At this stage of their careers, not everyone would prefer Nelson to Crabtree, although the Raiders’ new head coach obviously does. Nelson is coming off of his worst season, statistically speaking, since 2012. He caught 53 passes for 482 yards and six touchdowns. Crabtree, meanwhile, had his worst season as a Raider, though he had 58 grabs for 618 yards and eight TDs.
Nelson now slots in as the Raiders’ No. 2 wide receiver behind Amari Cooper, as shown on Roster Resource. Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson are also on the depth chart. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Raiders continue to explore the wide receiver market for depth, though there will also be options in the draft.
This will be a chance for Nelson to bounce back. Although he was only selected to one Pro Bowl (in 2014) during his run as Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite target, Nelson became the Packers’ second-leading receiver scorer. Only Don Hutson caught more touchdowns as a Packer than Nelson’s 69. He has four 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, with the most recent coming in 2016 despite having suffered an ACL tear in 2015.
The former second-round pick and Super Bowl hero caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 TDs during his last full season with Rodgers, and the Raiders are clearly banking he can return to close to that level with this signing.
[RELATED: Raiders Depth Chart]
Raiders Release WR Michael Crabtree
The Raiders are releasing wide receiver Michael Crabtree, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). With Crabtree out of the picture, a source tells Schefter that there is a “high probability” of wide receiver Jordy Nelson landing in Oakland (UPDATE: Nelson has signed with the Raiders).
There have been whispers of Crabtree’s exit from Oakland for several months. At one point, Jon Gruden seemed to indicate that Crabtree would be back with the team in 2018. Such talk, apparently, was premature. The Raiders will move on from Crabtree’s $7MM salary and are likely to fill that void with Nelson.
Last season, Crabtree posted his worst season as a Raider, managing only 58 reception and 618 yards in 14 games. In January, his $7MM salary seemed a bit rich given his down year, but it’s not so crazy when compared to some of the free agent deals signed by other receivers this year.
Take Marqise Lee‘s new contract with the Jaguars, for example. He can earn a maximum of $38MM over the course of his four-year contract. Even if his “true” average annual value falls short of $9.5MM, it’s still a good indicator of what Crabtree can expect to get in free agency. On the other hand, many of this year’s wide receiver voids have already been filled.
Extra Points: Seahawks, Nelson, Browns
The Raiders are in the mix to sign Jordy Nelson, but it’s not a done deal just yet. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) cautions not to count out the Seahawks in the Nelson chase, given John Schneider‘s history with the wide receiver.
In 2008, the Packers traded back with the Jets in the second round in order to select Nelson. Schneider was a big reason for that deal as he advocated for Nelson in the war room. Now, Schneider is at the helm in Seattle with a very real chance at signing the veteran.
The Saints, reportedly, are also pushing to sign Nelson.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Browns GM John Dorsey said he released cornerback Jason McCourty because he wasn’t sure he’d make the roster and, given his veteran status, wanted to give him a chance to catch on with another team (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon). McCourty had a solid bounce back year with the Browns, so it’s surprising to hear that Dorsey wasn’t sure if McCourty would quality for the 53-man roster. In any event, he figures to have a ripe market.
- Meanwhile, Browns coach Hue Jackson confirmed that Tyrod Taylor is the Browns starting quarterback for 2018. “He’s going to be the starting quarterback. There is no competition,” Jackson said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer). The Browns hold the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in this year’s draft and one of those selections will almost certainly be used on a QB. Whoever that rookie is, apparently, will be learning from the bench at the outset.
- The Raiders were a close second for Johnathan Joseph before he agreed to re-sign with the Texans, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Joseph re-upped with Houston on Thursday with a two-year deal.
- The Eagles and Giants are showing interest in Bears free agent punter Pat O’Donnell, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Raiders To Sign FB Keith Smith
Jon Gruden vowed to restore the importance of the fullback position and he took a major step towards that endeavor on Thursday. The Raiders and fullback Keith Smith have agreed to terms on a two-year worth $4.2MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Smith, 26 in April, was non-tendered by the Cowboys this week. He quickly drew interest on the open market, not just from the Raiders, but the Falcons as well.
Smith is undoubtedly happy about the way things turned out. Had he been tendered by Dallas, he would have made just $1.908MM in 2018.
The Cowboys only used Smith on 12% of their snaps last season, but he could be in for an uptick in playing time with the Raiders, particularly since former Dallas special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is in Oakland.
It remains to be seen exactly who he’ll be doing the lead blocking for, however. The Raiders inked Doug Martin to a one-year deal on Thursday and Marshawn Lynch‘s status remains murky.
Raiders To Sign Doug Martin
The Raiders have agreed to terms with Doug Martin, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, providing the veteran another opportunity after some down years.
This is a one-year deal for the seventh-year back, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Martin is entering what would be his age-29 season.
Connected to Martin last week when it was reported the team was high on the former Bucs back to lead to a Martin-Jon Gruden meeting, the Raiders will hope the formerly coveted free agent-turned-castoff can bounce back. Martin, though, struggled badly over the past two seasons since signing that a lucrative deal in 2016.
The two-time Pro Bowler has averaged 2.9 yards per carry in each of his past two seasons and has gained fewer than 200 receiving yards in each of those. Given that Marshawn Lynch is also not much of a pass-catching threat at this point, this would make for a somewhat curious fit.
Lynch remains on the Raiders’ roster and was due a $1MM roster bonus on Wednesday. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back is set to take up nearly $6MM of the Raiders’ cap, but the team can jettison Lynch mostly free of charge if it chooses.
It would seem Oakland’s roster is not big enough for all four of its current backs. Oakland also has elusive change-of-pace backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard in the fold. Neither were as productive last season as they were in 2016, however.
[RELATED: Raiders Depth Chart]
Seahawks, Saints Still Pushing To Sign Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson is not headed to Oakland just yet. The Raiders still have competition from the Saints and Seahawks.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) Nelson-to-Oakland is not a done deal yet, adding the Saints represent “real competition” for the 32-year-old wide receiver’s services. The Seahawks are also not out of the mix yet.
Nelson is still in Oakland, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier Thursday the expectation is this Raiders agreement still gets done. But two NFC teams aren’t conceding yet.
The Saints and Seahawks have scheduled visits with Nelson, but the Raiders are still in pole position here having secured the first meeting and reports of the further summits on the verge of being cancelled. This race also could decide Michael Crabtree‘s fate. The Raiders are likely to cut the three-year Silver and Black starter if they land Nelson, and that would put a younger wideout on the market.
Seattle, which lost Paul Richardson to Washington, is also pursuing Terrelle Pryor. The Saints, who have Michael Thomas under a rookie contract for up to two more seasons, have Ted Ginn signed to a veteran deal but tendered Willie Snead at the lowest level. They did not tender RFA Brandon Coleman.
Marcus Gilchrist To Visit Raiders
The Raiders are going to inquire about a Marcus Gilchrist addition to their secondary. They are set to host the free agent safety on a visit Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Reggie Nelson‘s contract expired after last season, the second of a two-year deal, and Oakland has a need on its back line alongside Karl Joseph. The Raiders were targeting secondary help this offseason but have yet to bolster that unit with an addition. They lost slot corner T.J. Carrie to the Browns on Wednesday.
Oakland does not have as much cap space as it has in recent years and could well be allocating some of it toward recently released wideout Jordy Nelson. The Raiders, however, are interested in Rashaan Melvin.
Pro Football Focus graded Gilchrist, 29, as a middle-of-the-road safety last season, when he was with the Texans. Despite some big expenses over the past few years, the Raiders have continued to struggle in coverage. They’re now set to have three new starters in their secondary.