The Raiders have plenty of choices to make in the coming weeks in free agency and the draft, but one move should be a no-brainer:
Re-sign veteran middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman.
That’s the opinion of Austin Gayle, who writes for the analytic website Pro Football Focus. In doing his free agency preview recently, Gayle listed the team’s biggest needs as an edge defender, cornerback and linebacker. But re-signing Bowman — who signed with the team at midseason after being cut loose by the 49ers — should be a priority of general manager Reggie McKenzie, wrote Gayle.
"Bowman brought a level of play Oakland hasn’t experienced at the linebacker position in quite some time, earning an 84.8 overall grade, which ranked 11th among qualifying linebackers in 2017," he wrote. Split between his time in San Francisco (six games) and Oakland (10 games), Bowman recorded 33 run stops, tied for seventh among all NFL linebackers, leading to his 17th-ranked 85.4 run-defense grade.
"Though Oakland does have some promising youngsters at linebacker, Bowman’s veteran presence can’t be replaced by any of the team’s in-house talent nor via free agency, as Bowman remains PFF’s top-ranked linebacker among all unrestricted free agents."
Bowman, who will turn 30 in late March, has been All-Pro at inside linebacker in three seasons, the last time in 2015. In 2017, he was in on 127 tackles, had an interception, 1.5 sacks, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery in his 16 games.
The Raiders could still go out and get more linebacker help in free agency or the draft, but keeping Bowman would seem a smart move.
Raiders
New defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has said he wants Bowman on his side in 2018.
"When you watch him on tape he was kind of the leader of the unit, really making a lot of the calls," Guenther told Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group. "It looks like he’s a smart guy that understands the game. I love smart guys that love playing football. Hopefully we can get him back in the fold and keep him a Raider."
