Fixing defensive front part of Raiders’ free-agent plan

There is always a plan. Some make sense on paper. Others don’t. But rare is the NFL team that begins a new league year without one. I’m just not totally sure what that means for the Raiders.

They at least appear to be focusing on the defenisve line, a position of great need.

Free agency officially commenced Wednesday and their moves certainly didn’t make crystal clear the path head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock believe will best lead the team to a more successful conclusion than the past three years.

Unless you count obliterating your offensive line as a sign.

Gruden is staring at his fourth season since returning to the sidelines. He does so with a 19-29 record and still a defense that ranks among the league’s worst.

Overnight, you can’t fix ranking 30th in points allowed, rarely stopping anyone on third down and getting run on weekly. You just have to try.

Nothing guaranteed

The majority of moves made thus far are more roll-the-dice-and-hope than anything that assures the Raiders are set to challenge the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes atop the division. That’s nothing new in the NFL. Most off-season transactions come with some type of risk. It’s football. The whole darn thing is a gamble.

But while that offensive line overhaul and signing veteran wide receiver John Brown made for much Twitter talk Wednesday, things won’t get better until those rushing the passer do.

It directly affects how poor the Raiders are defensively. They had just 21 sacks last season, which ranked 29th across the NFL. When you’re that inept up front, those at the next few levels behind you suffer.

They haven’t been any good, either.

What the Raiders have done, then, is attempt to present new coordinator Gus Bradley with more tools than previously existed.

They re-signed nose tackle Johnathan Hankins to a one-year deal. That’s good in the sense he has remained a consistent presence the last two seasons. It’s not in that they need more production from him. From everyone on the inside.

Two new faces there will be free-agent signings Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas. The former has 10.5 sacks and 35 quarterback hits over five years with two teams (Seattle and Buffalo); the latter is a former No. 3 pick overall by the 49ers whose fifth-year option wasn’t picked up and is coming off ACL surgery.

Role-the-dice-and-hope.

The most recognizable of signings was defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, because getting to the quarterback has been more an issue for the Raiders than following COVID-19 protocols last season. So you now have a player who has totaled 45.5 sacks and 18 forced fumbles in five NFL seasons.

He’s more a specialist than anything — not much good at all against the run — and that’s not all bad. His is the sort of strength the Raiders need most. They’re much better with Ngakoue opposite Maxx Crosby.

It’s now about Crosby and Clelin Ferrell and Maurice Hurst and others being better. Everyone needs to improve, no matter any strides taken thus far.

Puzzle not finished

It’s true that the puzzle for contending in the AFC West and fixing the issue of one playoff appearance in 18 years remains strewn across the kitchen table, several pieces still not attached.

More moves are coming. The draft is near. More money is being freed up for a team that is reportedly cash-strapped.

While it’s definitely worth wondering about who might now be blocking for Derek Carr, this remains just as relevant: If the Raiders can’t begin making things hard on opposing quarterbacks, that playoff drought won’t end any time soon.

Seems like fixing that is part of the plan.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.