The Oakland Raiders have continued to add players to their defense the offseason by bringing in cornerback Mike Jenkins and their newest moves will have some repercussions on the draft, as the team may look away from Alabama star Dee Milliner in the secondary after the signing.
According to ESPN.com, the Raiders signed Jenkins to a contract and while terms were not disclosed, he now joins a secondary that already has Tracy Porter and looks much more improved over last year's team. The team also re-signed Andre Carter according to the report, bringing in a player to make up for the loss of Tommy Kelly and one that made 2.5 sacks last season. The Raiders have been working to improve the roster this offseason and the team has also axed players like Michael Huff and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The team was lacking at the cornerback position before adding the veterans and they were able to grab Jenkins despite interest from the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jenkins played for the Cowboys the past five years, but he became expendable after his play slipped and the team signed Brandon Carr and drafted Morris Claiborne from LSU.
Porter joined the team after falling out of favor in Denver after dealing with medical issues and he previously played for the Saints under Dennis Allen, who is now coach with the Raiders. Jenkins started 48 games during his time with Dallas, but he only started two last seasons after making the Pro Bowl in 2009.
Carter is a solid addition for the Raiders, as they brought back a player that is eighth in sacks among active players and one that had 10 sacks two years ago. The Raiders now likely will look at other players in the draft besides Dee Milliner, including Ryan Nassib and Sharrif Floyd, as well as Dion Jordan, a player that the Eagles covet as his coach Chip Kelly from Oregon is now in Philly.
Nassib has quickly been moving up draft boards according to scouts and despite the fact that the team traded for Matt Flynn from the Seahawks, they still could go after Nassib as a long-term solution. Nassib is seen as a better prospect than Geno Smith now and the Raiders could steal him at three or try and haggle with the Bills to trade up for him, as Buffalo likes him since he played with coach Doug Marrone at Syracuse.
Floyd and Jordan are also interesting options, as the Raiders have tried hard to improve a defense that ranked 18th in rushing and 20th in passing yards per game last season for a team that went just 4-12 in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos. General manager Reggie McKenzie has done a good job of remaking the roster and now Carson Palmer is gone as starter with Matt Flynn in and the team also added a number of veterans.
