Charles Woodson just wrapped up a Hall of Fame career, returning to the Oakland Raiders for his last three seasons as nice little victory lap. Unlike Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson, Woodson’s post 2015-16 season plans were no secret. He was putting the horse in the barn and wanted to get a standing ovation as he did it.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Woodson wasn’t a star in the NFL, he was a super star. A team leader and ultimate performer who was almost as good in his 19th season as he was in in his first.
Woodson retires with a Super Bowl ring, nabbed in his seven-year stint with the Green Bay Packers, two Super Bowl appearances, nine Pro Bowl appearances, a couple of rookie of the year awards and two defensive player of the year awards. And in college at Michigan he won a national title and the Heisman Trophy. So, you know, Woodson’s done alright.
Charles Woodson, Safety
2015: 74 tackles, five interceptions, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, nine passes defended
The Raiders were already weak at the safety position with Woodson on the roster. The other starter, Larr Asante, isn’t even listed as a pure safety on their roster. Back up Taylor Mays is a free agent and could come back, but really Oakland has some work to do and they’ll have to do it in the draft and in free agency. They need at least three bodies in here.
Luckily for them, there’s plenty of options available. If they want to spend money on a talented veteran they could nab Eric Weddle from their AFC West rival San Diego Chargers. Weddle’s a 10-year player who’s coming off a productive, but down year for them. He’s likely got one more contract in him and won’t be too expensive. Dashon Goldson was set free by the Washington Redskins and provides a lot of the same things Weddle does except he’s coming off a better season, 110 tackles and a pick.
Louis Delmas is younger than both of them and probably has more talent. He’s also coming off a a knee injury suffered with the Miami Dolphins in the 2015 preseason. I wouldn’t be afraid to sign Delmas to a one-year deal and see what happens.
But the guy I would have to sign and be on the phone with right now is Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson. Here’s Nelson’s stats for 2015, his 10th year in the league; 77 tackles, two fumble recovers, eight interceptions and 14 passes defended. It’s the best season of Nelson’s career and he’s had a pretty solid career. Signing him would be my first priority.
In the NFL Draft the Raiders pick at No. 14 and won’t take a safety there. The second round is where it gets interesting for Oakland. They could be looking at Vonn Bell out of Ohio State, Jeremy Cash out of Duke or Karl Joseph out of West Virginia.
But the guy I think they should target is LSU safety Jalen Mills, who looks so much like Woodson on the field it’s kind of startling. They can grab him in the second round or maybe even the third.
Mills only played in six games because of a broken leg. He has the size and ball skills to play free or strong safety in a man defense. He began his career at LSU as a corner so he can also move to the position in the nickle or, if need be, play the outside though he doesn’t have the flatline speed to be a man-to-man corner.
If the Raiders wanted to wait a little later in the draft to address the position they could go with Jayron Kearse in the fourth round out of Clemson. Kearse is a physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds and has similar speed to Mills. Kearse is a a little more raw on his position skills, but the payoff is a strong safety as tall as any tight end he’ll be facing in his NFL career. If I’m the Raiders and I can, I add both these guys to my roster in April.
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