Raiders keep piling on in free agency, add another WR
The Raiders went on the offensive Saturday in the second wave of free agency, agreeing to terms with wide receiver Nelson Agholor and guard Erik Kush, according to a team source.
This comes after opening free agency with seven signings, five on defense, as the Raiders remain one of the NFL’S busiest teams in terms of upgrading their roster heading in to the NFL draft April 23-25.
Agholor, a former firstround pick (No. 20 overall) out of USC, caught 224 passes for 2,515 yards in five seasons with the Philadephia Eagles and had 39 catches for 363 yards and a career-low 9.3 yards per catch in 11 games. Terms were unavailable, but ESPN reported the contract was for one season.
Kush, who turns 31 in September, is a well-traveled guard who played in all 16 games last year for the Cleveland Browns with seven starts. He was a sixth-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2013 and has also played for the Buccaneers, Rams and Bears.
The Raiders also brought back one of their own free agents in running back Rod Smith, a late-season signing who has special teams capabilities and can play both running back and fullback.
The club has yet to announce any free agents pending actual signed contracts and physical examinations.
The free agency market for wide receivers has been a slow one, with New Orleans striking first and agreeing with Emmanuel Sanders on Friday night. Agholor chose his contract season to have his worst NFL season and hopes to rebuild his career on a Raiders team that counts wide receiver as perhaps its weakest position.
Agholor, 26, once caught nine passes (in 11 targets) for 84 yards against the New England Patriots when the Eagles won Super Bowl LI in Minneapolis, a season in which he had 15 receptions for 167 yards in the postseason. He had 62 receptions for a career-best 768 yards in the regular season, including eight touchdowns.
Yet it was Agholor’s drops that attracted the most attention among hardcore Eagles fans, and he was a frequent target of criticism on both local radio and social media.
According to drop stats on Fox Sports, Agholor dropped four passes last season (in 11 games) and three in 2018.
Agholor joins a Raiders group of wide receivers that includes Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones, Keelan Doss, Marcell Ateman, Rico Gafford and Anthony Ratliff-williams.
Having Agholor in the mix would not prevent the Raiders from using one of their first five picks (two in the first round, three in the third) on a wide receiver class in the draft that is considered one of the best in recent memory.
Kush played right guard for the Brown. But as a probable reserve behind Richie Incognito and Gabe Jackson would be counted upon to be available as a swing guard. Jordan Devey played that role early last season for the Raiders before he was lost to a torn pectoral. Devey is an unrestricted free agent.
Since the free agency window opened Monday, the Raiders have agreed to terms with linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, defensive end Carl Nassib and cornerback Eli Apple on defense and Marcus Mariota, Jason Witten, Agholor and Kush on offense.